Phasmatis Lupus
by Blue Lone Wolf 2574
Summary: Trouble's brewing in neighboring Mercia and it's up to Arthur, Merlin and Gaius to keep an unknown danger from being unleashed on Albion. But to do that, they need to find the one person who can help, if they're even willing. A gift to penpal and friend Uchihanaruteme4, who I hope enjoys this greatly. Rated T to be safe. Rating may change, depending on content.
1. Chapter 1: The Scarf of it All

Hey everybody! It's Blue here with yet another work that I'm actually making for a friend and fan of mine ol' UchihaNaruTeme4. We've actually been talking for a long while I can't help but love how we've connected as make-shift pen pals. Having the internet certainly helps quite a bit. Anyway, this fic is for her and I hope she enjoys it. I don't own 'Merlin' in any shape or form but damn I want the DVD pack when it comes out! Enjoy!

"Iii" = speech

_Iii_ = thought

Chapter 1: The Scarf of it All

Guinevere tried not to feel nervous as she walked the forest path by the castle of Camelot, only a basket full of herbs in hand, the wind tugging playfully at her hair and dress. It wasn't as though she hadn't traveled through these woods before, oh no, it was just the odd feeling she got whenever she happened to pass too closely to a few densely packed trees. Something about the darkness they created, even during the day, put her on edge, just like all the other servants and guards that frequented the area. Something about those particular trees didn't feel right. They felt… wrong, almost out of place. Like usual she chose to ignore the patch of oddity despite its vicinity to the castle. She had work to do and being bothered by a few trees wasn't going to help any. Some feet away from said trees where the feeling of strangeness wasn't as strong, the young woman knelt to examine a patch of green for plants she sought. Gaius had requested she look for a certain herb. Dittany was it? Now if only she could find the blasted thing….

A low growl made her pause, the sound coming from the edge of her vision as the deep guttural noise filled her ears. Knowing better than to move too quickly, her dark brown eyes shifted to the left as she turned her head slowly to see a beast best feared: a nasty looking chimera with eyes a foul green stuck its tongue out at her. Its spiky spine seemed to shiver as it moved towards her, its breath stinking as it growled and hissed amidst approaching the shocked servant girl. Just as its legs bunched as though to pounce, Gwen didn't hesitate to drop her basket and get to her feet, tumbling away from the large creature with a panicked cry. Behind her its loud noise of ire at her escape filled her ears as she got to her feet and ran between a few more densely packed trees in the hopes it would slow the beast down. Fear and desperation drove her forward, drove her away from the threat to which she had no defense, blinding her to just where she was going. That is until that uneasy feeling started to nudge at her again, nearly making her slow down with indecision. Only when she looked back and saw the chimera's reptilian face hissing at her did she gather her skirts and without looking to see if it followed, headed straight for the dense collection of trees.

The crunch of leaves and twigs under her shoes seemed to echo, swish of bush branches like snaps of a whip as she desperately sought out the unnatural darkness before her. Already covered in a thin layer of sweat, Gwen tried to keep breathing long and deep to avoid sending herself further into a panic as she ran. She managed to get at least another five feet into the grayish shadows of the trees before a rock hidden by fallen leaves tripped her, sending her to the hard ground face first. In a cloud of leaves and debris, the servant girl let out a small hiss of pain as she felt the balls of her hands sting in protest. Already she could feel the blood on her skin as she rolled to see if the beast had followed her. And followed her it had, its almost neon green eyes shimmering dangerously in the half-light, tongue darting as if to taste the air, moving slowly towards her. Frozen now, Gwen could only stay where she was, silently hoping her death would be a painless one, praying in her mind to whatever god happened to exist that whatever happened it would be swift. Like a giant viper, jaws agape and practically frothing, the chimera pounced at the girl, making her let out one last scream of panic.

Its loud hiss matched her shrill cry, only cut short when a flash of bluish silver cut in from the left, bashing the beast on its shoulder and head. With a loud splash of what was clearly water, spraying moisture everywhere, the chimera was sent tumbling to the forest floor. Hissing in its dissatisfaction, the large creature rolled back to its feet again, sickly green eyes flashing with rage as it faced its new foe. Now it was Gwen's turn to have a slack jaw as the odd new thing spiraled almost lazily down from the upper canopy: several inches wide and at least five feet long, this odd being shimmered in what light there was, passing over the servant girl to reveal its size was limited to only two dimensions. It was a piece of cloth! Better yet, a scarf woven to the shape of a strange looking dragon, thin dark blue cord acting as whiskers just below a flat nose on its two dimensional face. The one eye she could see, a large dot of almost golden yellow, looked down at her with a mixture of curiosity and innocent delight. Also woven into it were legs that hung limply at its 'underbelly', small but thick with golden claws made of what looked like metallic thread, clashing well with its dark sea blue body. Only when it passed over completely did she see the tail, like the rest of its 'spine' had greenish blue spikes, cured like waves of the sea, the very end narrowing to a point. At its end looked like a piece of fabric of a lighter green blue shaped roughly like a spade, the cloth barb clearly lacking any real edge.

Despite Gwen's open staring, the chimera was less interested in this oddity and more in getting its meal. With yet another loud hiss, it broke the girl's reverie and brought back her state of panic, finding that its attention was on the cloth-made being and not her. Still hovering some distance from the ground, the dragon shaped scarf suddenly opened its mouth with a muted gasp so that its entire body bloated with air. Pointing its woven maw at the stinking creature, the dragon scarf blew out all the air it'd collected so quick and with such force, some of it turned into ice as soon as it hit the chimera's face. Shards of ice and strong wind struck the beast hard enough to push it back, sharp slivers of frozen water sticking out of its scaly hide. Letting out another angry growl and hiss, the chimera tried to move forward again only to receive more ice with a bit more force. Pained and now bloody, the large chimera turned away as the cloth beast blew several more blows of wind and frost at it until it was far away enough to no longer be threatening. Gwen didn't breathe easy until she heard the brush stop rustling as the beast retreated with some measure of haste.

It wasn't until she tried to get to her feet that she remembered the stinging pain in her hands, looking at them to see the blood had already started to dry. Using two of her fingers, Gwen tried to pull a leaf off one patch of her raw flesh only to hold back a hiss of pain harsh enough to make her eyes sting. The blood was already cool but in the wound it felt hot as the leaf revealed puddles of blood and torn skin. Much to her relief, the gashes weren't deep, but simply hurt a great deal. Letting the dried leaf fall to the ground, Gwen shifted herself to sit properly as she surveyed the damage. If she could get to water, she could get it clean and maybe get to Gaius before it got infected, never mind that her chore would have to wait. Tears threatening to fall from her eyes, Gwen managed to get to her knees before her balance nearly failed her, the energy she once had having long since faded. Breathing soon steadying, the servant girl examined her injuries again to find the bleeding had slowed but still stung even when she didn't move them. A small sound in front of her made her look up, brown eyes widening to find the cloth dragon had come to hover before her.

Form shifting as though a fish in water, despite being completely level with her face and head unmoving, the cloth-made dragon stared at her with eyes made of bright golden yellow thread, its black pupil nothing more than a hole. Just behind its face Gwen finally noticed that some bits of fabric lifted and fell with the movements of its long body, just as dark but clearly separate to create an almost lion-like mane. It even had small thin horns, smooth and gently waved to the back of its head, possibly made of a greenish blue velvet of a lighter shade to help it stick out more. Nose flat and wide much like a dog, the cloth dragon opened its mouth to reveal small teeth made of what looked like the same material as its body coupled with a tongue a grass green much resembling a dog's. The last thing Gwen expected, in spite of everything, was for the strange being to speak.

"Hurt?" it asked, voice deep and rough like a man's but shy almost like a child's. "Pain? Hurt pain?"

Astonished, Gwen couldn't help but stare, mouth open in shock. Even more to her surprise, the cloth dragon's expression seemed to shift to a confused scowl, brow coming together as it tilted its head. When it spoke again, it sounded almost saddened by her lack of reaction. "Voice gone?"

Blinking away her shock, Gwen struggled to find the right words. "N-no! No I… I've just never seen anything like you before."

Its eyes flickered oddly, as though to blink while its scowl lessened, back to simply staring at her. "Only one. Just me. Hurt?"

Glancing down at her hands, Gwen suddenly felt out of place. Was she honestly having a conversation with this thing? "Yes, yes I am but it's fine. I just need to get back that's all."

"I fix." It said suddenly, calm as ever.

Gwen stared, astonished. "What?"

"I fix. Let me?" it asked politely, glancing down at the cuts and the blood before looking up into her face again.

Silent for a few seconds, the servant girl almost couldn't answer. "You can do that?"

"Made for it. Let me?"

Trapped between confusion and surprise, Gwen slowly extended the appendages so the cloth dragon could see the wounds better. "Please."

Without another word, the cloth dragon looked down at her hands again, closely examining their condition with a keen gaze. Opening its mouth again, gently sucking in air same as before to where its body inflated all the way to the tail, it pointed its mouth at her hands, and blew. To Gwen, it was as if a cool breeze was passing through but was only pointed at a small part of her, the icy temperature a blessing against the hot pain. As the dragon's breath went on, the debris was cast aside, blood cleaned off with a gentle mist and skin mended together, good as new. Less than two minutes later, Gwen could only stare at her hands in awe to see them undamaged as though she'd never gotten hurt to begin with. Pressing them together to feel the newly mended skin, Gwen couldn't help but smile upon finding no pain, not even a scar.

She couldn't help but smile, admiring the dragon's work, glancing up at it with bits of amazed laughter. "Thank you. Thank you so much. That was amazing!"

Humming deep in its throat, body shaking a little as if excited, mouth lifting in an obvious smile of contentment at her words it spoke again. "Welcome. Bad thing no come back. You safe now. Basket that way. We go?"

"You want to come with me?" Gwen asked, looking at the beast with renewed awe.

It nodded, still looking pleased with itself. "Yes."

"Don't you live here?"

For the first time, it frowned a little. "No, live anywhere, master long gone." It said plainly before it smiled again. "Like you. Go with you?"

"You're lost? Do you know where you master is?" Gwen asked as she finally stood, straightening her dress.

The cloth dragon shifted to stay eye level with her, its long body stretching lazily. "…No. sent me here."

Scowling in her confusion, Gwen gave the creature a long look. "Why? Why would your master do that?"

"Can't say. Master...very strange. Go now? Basket that way, through there." It repeated, even pointing its tail at a section of trees she was sure she'd passed by.

"You can show me the way?"

"Yes, good memory. Lead you well. That way." It said, sounding pleased with itself. Before she could do or say anything, the cloth dragon was whirling its way around her, resting its long body on her shoulders gently until it was draped like a regular scarf. Now flat like before, the dragon went limp as though dead.

Bewildered, Gwen stared down at the dragon's head where it hung over her right shoulder, its face stuck in a blank expression. "W-what are you doing?"

It blinked at her words, face coming back to life as it looked up at her. "Blending. Why? Bad?"

Gwen couldn't help but smile a little at the being's attempt. "Uh, no just… I didn't have a scarf on when I left."

"Ah. Sash then?" it proposed, the look it gave clearly that of someone seeking approval.

"Can you do that?" Gwen asked, having the mind to sound perplexed. Just what exactly was this creature capable of?

"I can. Watch." It said almost happily as it lifted away only to circle her completely to come back in around her waist, changing as it did. Losing its bright sheen and soft texture, cloth legs disappearing and head shrinking as its body became as thin as rope. With the same gentle movements as before, the dragon turned sash settled around her body as if it were part of her daily dress. Finally it fell still after knotting itself up, voice still clear as ever. "See? Blend well. We go?"

Letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding, Gwen nodded down at it despite her clear amazement. "Yes, we're going. Just… try not to talk unless I say. Something like you is… not common where we're going."

"Quite good at being quiet. Joke!" the cloth dragon said jovially, even laughing low and deep, the sound making it shiver.

Smiling weakly, the servant girl chuckled a little along with the odd creature. "That you did. I have to ask, do you have a name? My name's Gwen."

"My name Kelan. Good meet you Gwen." It said politely, still with a hint of humor from its chaff at itself. At least it knew what humor was.

"Good to meet you, is that what you meant?"

Kelan didn't speak for a second, humor replaced by embarrassment. "Yes, speech still wrong. Sorry."

"No, it's alright. I understand." Gwen said quickly, hoping the change in subject would take the sullen tone out of her new guard's voice. Turning to look at the only corner of the clearing that looked familiar she asked. "This way?"

When he did respond, it was with more confidence, once again happy with himself for remembering something so clearly important to her. "Yes, that way then left. You ran fast."

Laughing weakly at the comment, Gwen couldn't help but nod, feeling a little silly for doing so since she didn't know if the being could see the action or not. She kept talking as she went, traveling the expanse of trees easily enough. "One will do that when they fear for their life. Where to now?"

"Straight, until we clear the trees. Find basket after that." Kelan instructed, polite as ever, sadness forgotten now that he something new to focus on.

Sure enough, she kept walking as instructed, her steps more slow and deliberate, her pulse finally down to a reasonable beat after all that she'd just endured. Passing by said trees, their unique bark patterns now vaguely familiar, Gwen stepped out into the open to find it was the same place she'd been moments before. Looking off to her left, she saw her basket lying on its side on the ground where she'd dropped it. Smiling faintly in relief, the servant girl didn't hesitate to head for it, kneeling to gather up what little had fallen out onto the ground. Just as she finished and got to her feet again, basket in hand, Kelan's voice rose up in a soft whisper. "Man coming! Running fast, could be danger! Weapon?"

"No, nothing. Is he armed?" she asked in a low whisper, pretending to search the ground for herbs, only just hearing hurried steps behind her.

"Sword, but not in hand. Looks scared. Act natural." Kelan suggested before falling silent just as the man got close and called to her, his voice heavy with exhaustion.

"Miss! Miss, can you help me! Please!"

Acting alarmed by his approach, Gwen turned to face him, finding he wasn't wearing armor but the sword was indeed there. In its scabbard as Kelan had said, but the man was dressed much like a commoner. _A servant perhaps?_ She thought as she spoke, tone cautious. "Who are you? What's wrong?"

Easily hearing her suspicion, the man put both hands up in a placating motion, dark green eyes tired and pleading. "I mean you no harm miss, but my mission is important. I got all turned 'round and I need to get to Camelot and fast! Can you tell me which way?"

Her caution at this stranger ebbed as her eyes took in the distressed man. His shoes were a mess and his face tired, as though he'd lost his horse and few nights rest on his journey. The man had yet to threaten her and he looked too tired to fight anyways. Finally she nodded, saying. "I can do you one better, I live there and can lead you there. Come, you look awful."

The man's face split into a grateful smile, some of the weight on his shoulders lifting as they sagged in his relief. "By your leave then, wonderful lady!"

Gwen smiled a bit at his praise, but led him regardless, knowing her search for herbs would have to wait for later. The walk back took mere minutes, all the while Kelan remained silent as she'd asked. Now she could only hope her king was in the mood for a surprise visit from another kingdom's messenger.

Standing in the great hall, standing beside his uncle and physician Gaius, Merlin gazed at the newcomer carefully. He was of fairly average appearance, his brown hair once ruffled now smooth and clean, and his dark green eyes still full of distress despite his calm expression. His right hand was fiddling with the edge of his leather vest, giving away his anxiety. Just a few feet away sat their king and ruler, Uther Pendragon, cold grey eyes gazing at the man before him with a level of scrutiny that would make a lesser man wet themselves. Beside him, in his favorite brown jacket and red shirt, stood his son and heir, Arthur, eyes of blue watching the man with a much kinder judgment. Beside the king, in his lost queen's throne sat Morgana, his ward of icy green eyes, ebony black hair and fair skin. Uther's ire could only be met by her sharp wit. That same wit looked upon the messenger with a kind eye, much like the prince. Spanning around them all were the various nights and council members who'd shown in interest in hearing the man out.

"State your name and your errand." Uther half asked, half demanded, his voice a low sound just loud enough for all to hear. A king like him never raised his voice, unless in anger which, sadly, was quite often.

"Sire, my name is Marcus and I've traveled here as fast as I could to seek your aid. We fear our king, King Bayard, has gone mad somehow." Marcus said, dark green eyes tired and pleading as he stared at the older man seated some feet away.

Instantly the name of his fellow king and ally caught his attention. "Bayard? We have a treaty with him. He's a friend of mine. Mad in what way?"

Marcus's shoulders dropped, likely in relief that someone, _finally_, believed him. "No one is certain! Only that he suddenly became obsessed with a cave deep within our kingdom, surrounded by mountains. He's all but forced every man able to go there and dig for what we know not, only that I barely escaped with my life. I had no choice, not with my own son's life at stake."

"You're certain of this?" Uther inquired, sitting up and leaning forward, Morgana's smooth features wrinkling with a concerned scowl. Beside them, Arthur looked just as troubled.

Nodding quickly, Marcus almost stuttered as he continued. "Most certain! Even what the door to the cave looks like! I've never seen such a thing in my life, your majesty! Just moving it took over two hundred men!"

"It was that large?" Arthur asked, sounding amazed.

"It was that heavy!" Marcus all but exclaimed, pointing back at one of the wooden doors of the hall. "No bigger than one of your doors here leading into your hall, but almost twice as thick, and heavier than metal or stone. From what I could tell, it hardly looked like stone at all! Had some strange symbols etched into it too."

From his spot off to the side, Gaius suddenly spoke up, making everyone turn to him as he asked. "What kind? Can you describe any of them?"

"Yes! Yes, one I remember very clearly." The peasant man said with tired enthusiasm, his face twisting in a slight scowl as he thought back. "It was a shield, with a dragon much like his majesty's, but the design was wrong. Only the head and neck, little else, as if meant to be simple with just carved slivers in its head for eyes; very regal looking actually, if it hadn't moved."

"The image moved?!" Uther exclaimed, some color actually leaving his face.

Again Marcus nodded at the question. "Scared many of us outright, sire! Seemed to move right on the surface of the stone without harming it any. Looked at us with such a stern gaze, many fear it's cursed."

"Not cursed, at least on in the sense any of us would understand." Gaius spoke up again, speaking with a grim authority.

"You know something Gaius?" Morgana asked in turn, glancing between the physician's concerned look to Uther's deepening scowl.

"I do milady. The symbol this man describes is that of the Guardsmen." The older man said informatively, eying his king pointedly. Uther didn't say anything, his mouth a thin line.

"Guards? Who are they?" Arthur taking his turn in asking, looking just as confused as just about as everyone else. Except Uther and Gaius.

Gaius shook his head, hair of silver white moving lazily with the motion. "More than just who, even more than simply 'what' are they. Our kingdom has seen their like before."

"Who?" Morgana asked, the entire room silent in rapt attention.

"A person of great power and skill only called 'the Captain'." The old physician stated.

Suddenly Uther looked almost ashen, as if the very mention of the simple title scared him beyond reason. "You cannot mean-!"

Nodding gravely, the physician's gaze didn't waver. "The very same I'm afraid, sire. And if this person is aware one of their chambers has been broken into, they'll be less than pleased." He sighed, not used to speaking for so long, before continuing. "Whatever Bayard is after, he's only brought down the wrath of the gods on himself."

"What do you mean?" Marcus asked, eyes darting between the two elderly men.

"It means your people are a hair's breath away from destruction, and they're completely oblivious to their fate." Marcus immediately looked sick as the words sunk in, Gaius looking back to Uther again, his voice heavy with concern. "We must act quickly sire, or else not just our lands will be caught in the crossfire."

Finally the old king spoke, practically forcing himself to speak. "Yes, you're right Gaius. Mercia is our ally and to allow it to fall prey to an unknown danger would be foolish. See to it our guest is given quarters and food. Arthur, you leave early morning tomorrow."

"Yes father." Arthur said almost mechanically, though the conversation still confused him to no end.

In the middle of the floor, Marcus seemed to be too happy to care about much else, smiling his relief at them as he was guided out of the hall, calling out. "Oh you're too kind, your majesty. I'll trust you'll do what you can sire."

"Leave us." Uther growled, icy grey eyes watching the various people file out obediently, leaving him, Morgana, Arthur, Gaius with Merlin still in the room. Once the people were truly gone, the grey haired monarch looked at his loyal servant and friend. "Are you certain this is the only way Gaius? Surely there must be something else-!"

Again Gaius shook his head, expression and voice grim. "No, there isn't and we both know it. Any Guardsmen, alone or in droves, are dangerous when brought into great ire. If they discover someone has deliberately broken into a cache they deliberately hid in any land, how they react should be plain: swift and likely without kindness." Next to him, Morgana's eyes widened in shock, glancing between the two men in shock. "We have no choice Uther… we must find the Captain before this gets out of hand."

"I'll go with some knights and stop Bayard without this 'captain's help. Why would we need this person anyway?" Arthur said, staring at the older man in question, only half curious about the answer.

His tone didn't change, even though his focus did. "To potentially stop whatever powerful force is hidden inside the cave, and doing it yourself will only make matters worse. Now isn't the time to rash Arthur. This is a situation that can't be solved with brute force alone." Not bothering to get a reply, he turned his gaze back to Uther, his words insistent. "Sire, you just as well as I do that nothing else can stop this. Going yourself is also out of the question. We both know what the Captain thinks of you."

Growling low in his throat, Uther all but jumped out of his throne, eyes alight with barely contained fury. Clearly the situation was grating his nerves more than he would ever admit, pointing a gloved finger at his son as he spoke. "Fine, but I only consent under protest! Arthur, Gaius will go with you. He's the only one the Captain will be truly reasonable with. I'll be in my chambers."

In a whirl of his dark cloak, Uther was across the hall, out the door and out of sight in an irritated huff. Assured his father was no longer within earshot, Arthur looked to the elderly physician as he spoke up again. "Why just you, Gaius?"

Letting out a tired sigh, Gaius only said. "Believe it or not, the Captain was here years ago but immediately showed discontent towards Uther. Thus far, I've been the only one in the whole kingdom capable of even having a decent conversation with the Captain."

"Can you tell me nothing else? Who is this person?"

"All you'll discover when we find them."

"There's something Gaius isn't telling us. Do you know what it is?" Arthur asked Merlin hours later, the two men alone in the prince's quarters, Arthur at his desk and Merlin at the bed getting it ready for the night.

From across the room, Merlin shook his head before speaking. "No, I've no idea. Then again there are lots of things that Gaius knows that I don't. And lots of things you don't know." He stopped fussing with the sheets only to see a boot on the floor, its twin clearly missing as he picked it up to show to the blonde, speaking with his usual mild sarcasm. "Like how to put your boots where I can find them."

"Haha very funny." Arthur bit out, the words lacking malice as he got up from the finely made wooden chair, walking over to take the boot from his manservant. "But honestly, you can't think of any reason why Gaius wouldn't tell you about what's going on?"

Again he shook his head, letting the other man take the boot from him before it was tossed off the side, causing Merlin to frown. "I can't think of any reason. Unless magic is involved and it's a kind I'm not aware of."

Scoffing loudly, Arthur only smirked as he gripped the other man by the arms as if to pull him close. "Says the one man that's supposedly the most powerful wizard in the land, and possibly of all time."

Merlin rolled his eyes at the comment. After fighting the Great Dragon, and surviving, Arthur's surprisingly tolerant reaction to learning his manservant had magic had given the pair ample leeway to be more honest. Not just one what Merlin, and Morgana when they finally coaxed her to speak of it, could do, but how they felt. Their relationship was quick to blossom into an intimate one, but only behind closed doors. A lot like now. "Not 'of all time'. Just this time period. Beyond ours though? Anyone's guess."

"Modest, as always." Arthur stated simply, looking amused.

This made Merlin sneer, though the expression lacked any real derision. "And you're not? Oh wait, you never are."

"I can be modest!" the blonde snapped back, sounding indignant.

Pulling away, Merlin just smirked back his mirth, knowing he'd hit a nerve. "Hmm so believable."

"Merlin."

"Yelling at me won't make it true." The raven-haired man said casually, pulling away to go gather the laundry basket by the dining table.

Arthur blinked at the statement, quick to follow the man. "I'm not yelling!"

Turning back to face him, Merlin's voice was patient but laced with humor. "No but you're still speaking loudly. And since both the room and your head echo, it makes it sound like you're yelling."

"I-! How is it that you always find a way to best me in these kinds of arguments?" Arthur demanded, face having turned a light shade of pink, only making Merlin smile a little wider at the sight.

"We're arguing? And here I thought were having a rather heated discussion-."

He didn't have a chance to say more when Arthur suddenly pulled him close, making their bodies brush as a pair of soft lips met his. Stunned by the move, Merlin could only blink his shock mind in a loop, when Arthur pulled away, smiling devilishly. "That shut you up right quick, now didn't it?"

Clearing his throat, Merlin had to struggle out of the daze he'd been thrown into. "Yes. Yes it did."

"Again?"

Instantly shy, Merlin couldn't help but smile a little. "Yes please."

So he did, the contact sending sparks down each of their spines, the smell and the taste creating a bubble of euphoria they couldn't help but revel in. and it didn't help that a pair of large, warm hands were wandering his back, his own only gripping the prince's thin night tunic to keep himself grounded. Finally, Merlin pulled back first, making the blonde prince grunt irritably at the loss. "I wasn't finished."

"No, you never are." The warlock stated evenly, actively ignoring how Arthur's lips were starting to swell a little from their activity. "Well _sire_, you'd best get to bed. We have a long trip ahead of us tomorrow."

"Who said you were in charge?" Arthur all but demanded, looking at his servant in clear befuddlement. It was true that Merlin was the only person in the whole castle he could talk to with true honesty and without consequence. But giving him, prince and heir, orders?

"Since I'm just about the only person you're willing to listen to? And no, your father doesn't count." Merlin countered easily enough, a thin finger poking the royal in the side to further his point.

"You always know just what to say." Arthur grumbled in his defeat, all but deflating as he eyed the other man tiredly. "Fine, but only because you'll be in bed with me."

Suddenly a hand was on his chest, thin and light but still very warm, in place with little pressure save to keep him from moving forward. "Oh no you don't. I still have chores to do, and you need the sleep. But if you're good…. It would be best not to make promises now wouldn't it?"

"For a servant, you're surprisingly cruel! How can you just say these things?"

Bringing his face temptingly close, Merlin whispered, their eyes practically staring endlessly into the depths of the other. "Because we both know you'll do what I say so you can finally get what you want, especially when I want it just as badly as you do."

After a moment, Arthur caved. "Good point."

"Now, to bed with you and depending on how tired I am, I just might join you. No point standing around arguing about it."

Arthur let out a weak growl, letting the raven-haired servant move away before using his well-honed reflexes to snatch him back again. Only said servant had seen the move coming, quickly hopping out of reach as he stooped only to pick up a basket of dirty clothes on his way to the door, grinning back at the prince. His impish expression only made Arthur snarl louder in frustration before he did as he was told and sat down on the bed. Just when he was about to give up and lie down, suddenly Merlin was in front of me, blue eyes all but sparkling with mirth. Still smiling that smile that made his heart jump, the servant gave the stunned royal a swift peck on the lips before bounding out the door without a word. Though it'd only lasted seconds, it still made Arthur smile at how his warlock could be. Letting out a light chuckle the prince didn't bother being stubborn and settled into his bed, silently hoping the other man would come back as he drifted off into sleep's embrace.

Finally done! Ugh it took longer than I'd planned but you know me. Well, those who follow me at least. Anywho, best move on before I stall longer than I should! The adventure starts now, suspense builds and soon the real fun will begin. Buckle up kids, it's gonna be a rough ride from here. Again, this is for you Teme-chan.

Next chapter:

Chapter 2: A Table at the Red Lion

Odd things are happening in Mercia, a mysterious figure must be found to stop a potential ending of their world, and all over an unknown treasure locked away in a cave. Will our heroes be able to get the help they need before all hell breaks loose? And just who is the 'Captain' that only Gaius can sway, yet Uther fears? Find out next time in:

_**Chapter 2: A Table at the Red Lion!**_


	2. Chapter 2: A Table at the Red Lion

Hello all again! It's me Blue, and I return with my latest work, '_Phasmatis Lupus_' or 'Spirit Wolf' for those of you who're wondering. I'm just about the only author willing to use Latin wording for their title so… yeah. Anyway! I don't own 'Merlin' though I'm hoping to have all five seasons on DVD at some point. Again this is for my friend Teme-chan but otherwise enjoy!

"Iii" = speech

_Iii _= thought

Chapter 2: A Table at the Red Lion

He was getting too old for this; he knew it down to his bones who now protested more than most these days. But he knew he was a servant to his king and its subjects, no matter what his old bones had to say about it. Well rested for once and knowing his nephew and charge was likely… elsewhere, Gaius didn't bother calling the boy as he rose from his cot in the main room of his quarters. Since revealing his magic to the prince, it was safe to say that dealing with the various things that happened around Camelot were handled much easier now that both the prince and the king's ward Morgana could pitch in when the need arose. Even more to the old man's relief, Gwen had been just as accepting to finding out that Merlin was secretly a warlock of notable power and ability. Whether her brother and knight Elyan would be the same was hard to say, but keeping it to themselves proved easy up until now.

_Until now._ The old physician sighed tiredly as he got dressed for the day, half wondering what he should have for breakfast. He still had that bread from yesterday, and the porridge was good if he heated it up again. And he never did get those herbs from Gwen, as he'd asked her to do but decided against asking her about it since she'd brought Marcus in. Putting the pot over the fire to heat the porridge, Gaius found his satchel and started to pack the various items he'd likely need for their journey. He moved with swift patience and practiced ease, finding everything since he had the whole room practically memorized by now. Only thing left was… that. Gazing up at the highest shelf on his upstairs makeshift bookcase, a wooden box sat, dusty and dull in response to the shadows it'd been forced to sit in for so long. Even from afar, the object looked almost black against the dull brown of the wall behind it, even though Gaius knew full well it was a deep dark brown, and shone like a pretty woman's hair even in the worst light. He shook his head as he finished packing, turning to the pot to scoop out the right amount of porridge for him and Merlin, sitting at the small table and eating at the same easy-going pace. He was getting too old for this.

At first, Merlin didn't want to get up. He was too comfortable and chores be damned, it would be damn close to a sin if he moved. Mostly because the person next to him looked so peaceful that he couldn't help but watch how the early morning sun hit his golden hair, even with the curtains in the way. Sure, he knew they needed to get up and get ready to ride before the day got too far in, but he only needed one more minute. Just one… more….

With a sigh and a lazy stretch of limbs, Arthur shifted before his eyes blinked open, dark blue eyes lazy and sleep filled as they fell on him. As the black pupils finally focused properly, the blonde prince smiled happily at Merlin, at him, voice rough with sleep and making Merlin shiver at the implications such a voice brought up. "Good morning. Up long?"

"No, just a moment. Breakfast?" Merlin asked, letting said prince pulled him closer, sticking his nose in his mop of black hair.

Smiling impishly, Arthur brought his face down to meet Merlin's. "Definitely." Without hesitation, he dipped closer and locking their lips into a less than chaste kiss, sending a thrill of adrenaline through the servant's body.

Overcoming his surprise, Merlin pushed him away, scowling halfheartedly. "I didn't mean 'me', I meant 'food'."

He just kept smiling, the expression lacking the innocence it was meant to project. "Same thing."

Merlin stared, voice deadpan. "Is not, I'd don't sate hunger."

"Wrong kind of hunger." The prince stated casually, moving to kiss him again only to be stopped by a hand and a commanding voice.

"Arthur."

"Hmm?"

The servant merely rolled his eyes, knowing Arthur's antics well. "We need to get up. We have to leave today, remember?"

"Yes, I do but honestly Merlin what I intend-." He began, only to be cut off.

"Is to tire us both out before we even get out of the front gates leading into the lower town, much less the castle itself. We do this now, and you just might be too tired to even get on your own horse." Merlin scolded, mentally kicking himself for sounding just like his own mother. If she knew that he used the same tactic on the prince as she had on him, there was no telling how much she'd poke fun at him for it.

"Mer_lin_." Arthur tried to sound serious, half scowling, half pouting at the denial.

"Oh don't you 'Merlin' me! It's your duty as the prince to protect the kingdom and aid those in need. It's _my_ duty to keep you from dying before you're crowned king of said kingdom so, trust me when I say that I'm doing this for your own good." This destroyed any chance the prince had at continuing his intimate action, making the royal deflate against the mattress as Merlin calmly asked. "So, again… breakfast?"

"Yes, please mother dearest." Arthur grumbled as Merlin pulled away.

"Right away." He said pleasantly, landing a kiss on the man's forehead before heading for the door, possibly to change as well. "Be sure to be up when I come back."

Gwen woke in her bed same as always, in the small house she and her father used to share before his death nearly a year before. Despite her brother's insistence that she move to the castle as he'd done, Gwen had refused. That little house amidst all the others in the lower town was her home, no matter how empty it'd become since that day. She'd long since forgiven Uther for his actions once it was revealed a rogue alchemist had pressured her father into helping him commit treason in spite of the good intentions her father had with his ill-earned pay. Sitting up and stretching comfortably, the servant girl got ready for her day, knowing full well the sun had yet to rise. Like all the other servants, she was used to the early hours and the ebbing night's chill in the air that always lingered. If it meant she had a job, steady pay and a myriad of friends and fellow workers who enjoyed it as much as she did, she was content. At least inside Camelot's stone walls they were safe.

_Though not for long._ She thought to herself between choosing which dress to wear for the day. _Once again, another threat has come upon us and it's up to Arthur and Merlin to stop it._

Shaking her head, Gwen finished getting dressed before choosing some bread and stew from the night before as her breakfast. Thankfully the stew was easy to heat up and the bread had yet to harden into an inedible stone as it was wont to do. As she ate, she couldn't help but smile a little at the thought of Merlin being the key to Camelot's safety. Even now, it was a little hard to see the skinny, witty man as much else but a servant with a sharp tongue and sly mind. To think he had magic to boot!

"Funny? Happy?" a familiar voice queried from across the room, its unnatural voice having an odd echo that almost made it sound further away than it was.

Looking over to the corner of the room, lying curled in a layered bundle of cloth was Kelan, unnaturally bright eyes of shifting thread staring at her. His dog-like dragon face had shifted quite like a real face to that of puzzlement, even tilting its head to complete the expression it desired to portray to her. Despite being very polite and obedient, Kelan had been a handful when she'd managed to get him home the night before. As soon as the door was closed, he was no longer in the cord sash from he'd posed as, floating about the small abode like the lazy flying cloth snake he seemed to be. He, literally, stuck his nose in everything, questioning her about anything and everything he could see or find. It'd taken her almost five minutes to get him to stop, the cloth dragon having coiled like a snake on the cabinet's counter. From what Gwen could tell, he hadn't moved since.

"No, thinking but yes, something funny." Gwen said with a light smile. "Have you been there all night?"

Kelan tilted his head, as if working the question in his head. "Yes… and no."

Confused, Gwen sat up straight, looking at her windows. None were open and the shutters were still in place. "No? What do you mean?"

"Didn't leave! Just… explored more. Quietly. You slept so, I stayed quiet. Good?"

"Yes, very good. Did you sleep at all?" she asked, a little relieved the odd being hadn't gone outside and run into a guard. If it was discovered she was housing him, there would be many questions, and not many she could answer.

"Sleep, yes. Ate, yes." Kelan stated casually, his voice returning to its usual pleasant tone.

"Wait… you can eat?" staring at the cloth made creature in shock, Gwen couldn't fathom something like Kelan to be capable of eating. "What did you eat?"

Bobbing his head like a nod, Kelan's voice took on a hint of fact. "Can eat. Only small things." He paused, letting her process this information a moment. "Ate rat. Tried to eat bread, ate him instead."

Blinking her surprise, Gwen examined said bread, relieved to find it undamaged by the invading rodent, easily recalling the piece she'd already eaten had been equally untarnished by the animal. Again she smiled at Kelan, thankful for his quick thinking. "Thank you."

"Welcome!" he said jovially, mouth shifting to smile as his face lifted to properly express his happiness at her comment. Even now seeing a being made of inanimate material move so… flawlessly alive was almost unnerving. His tail had even come up from the pile of cloth that was his body to wag much like a dog's, before falling still again. "Sun come, we go?"

Gwen blinked, looking to the shuttered window to see a faint golden glimmer of sunlight poking through the small space between the wooden planks. If she didn't hurry, she would be late for her duties. She didn't say anything, finishing her breakfast at a more hurried pace, but not too fast to upset her stomach. Last thing she wanted was to be sick on the job. Grabbing her shawl to fend off the early morning cold, Gwen only paused to look back and Kelan, who had yet to move. "Will you be alright here?"

"I no go?" Kelan asked, his voice lacking the sadness she half expected to hear.

She thought for a moment. "If you'd like, but only if you can behave."

"I can, I can!" Kelan said excitedly, all but bounding across the room in his odd snake-like fashion. Just as before, he was wrapping himself around her waist to pose as a belt, resting comfortably without squeezing too hard. When he was finished, he called out. "Ready!"

Smiling at his excited words, Gwen blew out the candle she'd lit before heading for the door again, stepping out into the quiet streets of the lower town. Only a few were already up, getting ready for the day, some looking to see who'd joined them in the pre-light hour. A few smiled and nodded, even waved and she did the same. Save for the odd being disguised as part of her dress, it was just another day in Camelot.

Not even five minutes in the main courtyard, checking the straps of his saddle, Uther was next to Arthur, asking questions. "Are you sure you have everything?"

"Yes, father." He answered, sounding bored.

Uther nodded, either ignoring or not hearing his son's tone. "Do you need any maps to know where you're going?"

"No, not really father." That alone should've been obvious. How could you find people who didn't want to be found with a map that would be outdated anyway?

"Lacking provisions maybe?" he insisted, his brow furrowed, face etched with barely hidden concern.

Finally Arthur had rolled his eyes. "Merlin and the other servants assure me we have enough food and water. And please stop worrying! Everything's going to be fine."

"I wish I could say the same, my son. But if you knew the Captain as I do…." Uther trailed off, stormy eyes clouded by thoughts and strong emotion.

"That's just it, father, I don't. And yet you can't tell me. Why?" Arthur growled out in protest, turning to look his parent and king in the eye.

Ever serious, Uther's mouth became a grim line. "The Guardsmen are very… secretive people. To speak of them to anyone but an ally would even give the most ruthless cutthroat to hold their tongue. I value my life and its still years yet before you're ready to take my place. All I can say is that if they trust you, don't betray them. They don't take deceit very well. Many a fool has discovered this the hard way." He shivered, as if remembering something unpleasant before speaking further. "Believe it or not, they will in turn follow you without question depending on what you order them to do. Odd as it is, they're quite adamant about such things."

_A group of warriors shrouded in secrets and lies, but hate being lied to? Odd indeed._ Arthur thought as he and the rest of his party left Camelot before the sun had even risen past the hills to the east. Their pace was fairly moderate, to keep from tiring Gaius out too quickly, though the old man had assured them he'd keep up as best he could. To make sure, Gwen had all but ordered Elyan to look after the old man if Merlin couldn't. If not, Percival, Gwaine, Lancelot or Leon certainly would. They all loved the elderly man like a father, a father who was kind and caring, patient and full of warmth. Which was why they trusted him to tell them truth, or at least as much as he would willingly admit.

Not even a few miles away from Camelot, the growing patches of orange and yellow leaves obscuring the large castle from view did Gwaine speak up, in his usual lighthearted manner. "So Gaius! What can you tell us about where we're going?"

"Not much I'm afraid. We must depend upon a hidden network of people to point us in the right direction." The elderly man replied, looking back at the young knight from his saddle, earning a smile from the man.

"I know that things like this are never easy, but are they that obscure?"

"Their sole mission is to remain hidden in plain view. To find one is an accident, to find two is a miracle. To find three or more is a disaster waiting to happen." Gaius stated, voice lacking humor as he spoke. "It's likely they even have agents in Camelot as we speak."

They rode in stunned silence for a moment before Percival, large, silent but kind decided to speak up, letting his awe show in his voice. "Truly? Then why not ask them?"

"To do so would be a risk to their duties and their identities. Each Guardsman is a practically a full-fledged sorcerer in all but name and practice. To attack even an underling who's been revealed could be deadly. And even if Uther were to discover them, they would hide so quickly, that any investigation would be futile." He said with a sigh, a sad expression coming onto his face. "No, we go to an underling outside of Camelot, who can easily rejoin their myriad of shifting faces."

"How long with that take?" Merlin cut in, giving his uncle a curious look.

Gaius only shook his head, still appearing regretful. "If we're lucky? Less than two days, if the people of Mercia have that kind of time."

"Do they? Rather, do we?" Arthur asked, looking puzzled.

Again the elder man gave him a negative response before answering. "Worry not sire, I've become quite adept at spotting these people and they will be as honest as possible despite your presence."

"Me? Why me?"

"Yet another tale, for another time." He said simply, eyes on the road ahead.

Arthur scowled, his voice low and annoyed. "Gaius."

Letting out a sigh, Gaius complied, if reluctantly. "All I can say is that your father's policy on persecuting those of great ability didn't sit well with them, only increasing their ire at his actions in the face of defying their own laws. Laws that keep them from interfering in the affairs of others, and thus the magical populace of Camelot from their fates."

"Affairs of others? What do you mean?"

"I can't say. I'm bound by a promise not to speak of it unless you prove you're worthy of such information." "I'm sorry Arthur, but they are as cautious as they are secretive. Defying them only proves my disloyalty to their trust, and thus their friendship which is all we have to help the people of Mercia. Hopefully you'll be privileged to learn more soon."

"I hope so too Gaius. They can't keep me from the truth forever."

They spent more than half the day not talking, only riding long and steady towards one of the way station towns composed of mostly a tavern, a stable and a few huts for merchants and nearby farmers only staying to sell their wares. Many looked up at the sound of approaching horses, eyeing the bright red of their cloaks and the brilliant yellow of the dragon upon their shoulders before looking away. It was common for a patrol to come through and the people were accustomed to the sight of soldiers of their king passing through. To them it was business as usual, trading coin and gossip in hushed tones so not to disturb their well armed visitors. Without a word and without prompting, Gaius was the first to dismount, letting Sir Leon take his horse's lead as he calmly shuffled over to the nearest food stand. The man behind the many baskets of produce stood from the chair leaning against the hut, smiling widely as the elder physician came to stand in front of his year's work.

"Greetings to you, kind sir! To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" the vendor said pleasantly, smiling openly at Gaius as he spoke.

Twisting his mouth in a smirk, Gaius responded just as politely. "I seek a particular item if you have it."

Nodding enthusiastically, the man spanned an arm over his display in emphasis, eyes watching the old man for any cue to his intentions. "Of course, of course. As you can see, I have a variety to choose from, much of which is the work of myself and my sons."

"And fine work indeed, if you had any sons to speak of." Gaius stated moderately, watching the food vendor man carefully.

The man's face seemed to become a mask, the smile still in place but with less of the eagerness that put it there. His eyes, a pair of moss green orbs flickered between Gaius and the assembly of knights watching before speaking with a careful tone. "Apologies humble sir, I had to test your memory and your intention. Though why you speak plain before the servants of your king, and his son too, puzzles me. Perhaps you're willing to indulge me."

Gaius nodded in turn, keeping both his face and voice open and friendly. "I am, but not here as I'm sure you wish the same."

The man's smile seemed to take on an almost calculating kind of satisfaction, moving out from behind the table of food baskets. "You know us well. This way, you and yours, if they please. It seems we each have much to say." He said, letting Gaius walk ahead of him to the side of the building, out of the view of the rest of the village. Having already dismounted, the rest of the group followed, eager to overhear the conversation.

Once they settled next to the hut, Gaius spoke again, still friendly but with a hint of authority the man sometimes expressed. "What can you tell us about the vaults in Mercia?"

Finally the man frowned, his mask falling to give way to concern, green eyes misty with thought. "Mercia has come up much of late, and none of it bodes well. A number of our people are there now, making sure no harm comes to the workers should they succeed in opening the door and injure themselves. Our superiors are confused about the sudden interest but we all move forward with caution… in case something drives their king to commit such acts."

"Could they be involved?" Gaius inquired, voice taking a grim tone.

The man shook his head fervently. "No one is certain, but we're still investigating. So far, nothing to speak of." He paused to reach for the wooden cover of a box sitting by the hut, pulling a lumpy looking bag out of it before speaking again. "Who, or whatever, has driven Bayard to act this way eludes even us, sir. Though I assure you we, the Guardsmen, are doing all they can."

Arthur let out a tired sigh, smiling at the man in an attempt to be friendly. "I appreciate that friend. Bayard is a dear friend of my father's, and his country allied with mine. If any of your people can help end this madness, I'll gladly accept it."

"Spoken like a true king-to-be. Clearly you have more wisdom that your father in this matter. It wounded us to see so many innocents fall to his hand from his rage. People who'd done him no wrong… was painful to see." The man hesitated before saying. "Go with great fortune Arthur, you'll most certainly need it."

"Do you know where we can find the Captain?" Gaius asked before Arthur could respond, earning another frown.

"That depends on the day, but I'd rather not send you on a traipse through the woods for someone you'll never find anyway. Your best bet is a tavern and lodging called the Red Lion, about ten miles northwest of here. Any one of the officers from my division are grouping there for orders on the Mercia situation for certain. And Gaius?" he smiled softly at the old man, handing him the bag. "I do have children, but only daughters. My wife and I hope our third is a boy, when he's born several months from now."

Gaius chuckled at this, accepting the bag without comment. "I hope they're both in good health, and thank you."

The man smiled again, this time with what looked like honest joy. "My thanks friend. My post here will soon be filled by another so that I may be there. If I don't see you before then, know yours was the kindest friendship I've enjoyed in this realm of yours."

"Yours mine as well. Good day, old friend." Gaius said, nodding politely before heading back to his horse, the knights following. He handed the bag to Merlin to add to their supplies before lifting himself into the saddle. Curious, the servant opened it to see a good fifteen apples inside, red with splotches of yellow, all likely fresh and without bruises.

"Good day, kind sir." They heard the man say as he went back to his food stand, quick to engage a villager in conversation over the items she'd chosen so far.

Mounting their steeds and calmly walking them out of the small town, no one spoke until they were a good distance away, Arthur turning to the elder physician. "How well did you know that man?"

"Fairly well, to know that he wouldn't lead us astray. He spoke truthfully Arthur, that much I can assure you. They've yet to do otherwise."

"And this?" Merlin asked from the near back of their group, point at the bag strapped on with the rest of their supplies on the back of the extra horse. "What's this for?"

Gaius looked back at his nephew for a moment. "A reason, or a bribe rather, to accept our request for their aid, enemy of your father or not. They'll deny it otherwise."

"That much I understand but… apples?" Merlin inquired, earning quite a few confused stares before he pulled one out as proof. Only then did the stares turn to Gaius.

"They come from another place and our currency is useless to them. It's best to please their curiosity of other things. Knowledge mostly, but food tends to be the key."

"Food? Why food?" Elyan has to ask, smiling a little at the oddity of it all.

"You'll see."

They spent the rest of the day riding, the tavern in question more than a day's ride away and so forced them to stop for the night. As night fell, Lancelot and Merlin collected firewood, Arthur trusting the knight with his friend, lover and secret personal sorcerer. All three knew that Gwaine suspected but seemed too polite (for once) to ask, while Elyan, Percival and Leon were simply oblivious. That or very good at hiding their suspicions. Gaius quickly settled on a large piece of fallen tree trunk, taking simple pleasure in the fire's heat as the cold of night threatened to creep up on them. As night's veil settled over the sky, their fire pushing back the darkness that surrounded their camp, no one spoke up until after dinner.

"Gaius?" Arthur finally uttered over his bowl of stew, stirring the brown concoction in thought as he gave the elderly man a curious stare.

Looking up from his own bowl, the physician gazed at his prince with his usual expression of kindness and patience. "Yes? What is it?"

"Why did that man say it hurt them to see people die during my father's purge?"

Gaius blinked before looking away in thought, meeting the prince's gaze after a moment or two. "I can't say much, you understand, but what I can say is this: to see so many who'd done no wrong for something they had no part in, die from your father's rage didn't sit well with them. The Captain especially so, as I recall correctly. Any chance of them having a relationship was lost when your father hunted down as many people as he could find." He paused. "One could say that the Guardsmen see druids and other groups of magic wielders as kindred spirits. Gifted people spurned for having abilities they never asked for but use as wisely as possible."

"They compare themselves to druids?" Percival found himself asking, speaking up for the first time in their trip so far.

The elderly man nodded. "Indeed. The Guardsmen have a great respect for nature and all its gifts but very few believe in gods. Spirits possibly, but no gods since their aspect on things is more logical, scientific, than mystical."

"Science? Like alchemy?" Elyan cut in, face losing color at the memory of his father being killed not only by Uther's order, but for getting involved with an alchemist.

Gaius shook his head at this, frowning a bit. "Not quite. They're as curious as anyone in seeking truth and knowledge, not basing everything they know on myth and rumor alone. Hence why they have no gods."

"Just spirits?" Merlin asked from where he sat, next to his uncle and honestly curious by now about these odd people.

"Even they're not foolish enough to believe there's nothing beyond reality. Some are almost certain gods exist, the rest just need proof in order to believe it. A truly real thing they can see, touch and know for certain is as real as the thing that made it. I wouldn't suggest discussing it though, it'll only start an endless argument."

Arthur frowned, openly puzzled. "And their king lets them act this way?"

Gaius shook his head once more, frowning still. "Not king, emperor. And he, like them, is open to the concept of spirits and not gods but won't deny the existence of gods should they truly exist in their world." Pausing almost for effect, Gaius continued after a moment. "From what I understand, many of their nobles are selected by the people to be part of their council rather than by bloodline alone. They are strange in many regards."

"They have a royal court but the people have a say in who leads? Strange indeed." Gwaine said, laughing a little at the thought. "And the nobles allow this?"

"They must. Such is the law set before them by their elders, laws even they aren't foolish enough to disobey for their own ambitions. Any action of that sort is dealt with swiftly and, from what I'm told, with little mercy."

"Sounds familiar. Is anything these people do, anything at all, done with any amount of remorse?" Arthur grumbled, a bit annoyed at the direction their discussion was taking. Did anything these odd people do make sense?

"Only in aiding others they see as allies or friends. Anyone beyond such favor is rigidly, if a tad respectfully, ignored. No point in making enemies of people who will never be your friends." Gaius said patiently, scooping some stew into his mouth, slowly chewing on a particular piece of carrot as he savored it a little.

Having settled on a tree root and speaking past an almost full mouth, Leon decided to add his own question. "A bit extreme isn't it?"

Swallowing his food, Gaius took his time saying. "Not to them. To them, any neutral action is seen as neutral and is merely observed no differently than watching a bird flutter about. Hostile action is seen as rogue or warlike, spotted and dealt with the second it's attempted, and only to the man foolish enough to attempt it in the first place. Friendly actions are observed, even exchanged, no different than old friends meeting one another in the street before moving along. You could say they see things in almost black and white terms." Gaius turned his gaze pointedly towards Arthur. "The Captain included."

"And you're an ally to this 'captain'? Will they even help us?" Arthur asked in turn.

Finally, Gaius nodded, but his frown remained. "They will if they wish to avoid bloodshed. And to remove whatever it is that Bayard has become so obsessed in obtaining. The Guardsmen wouldn't allow something of their own making to fall into human hands."

"Human?" Leon stated, looking shocked, nearly choking on his food before speaking again, his jaw slack. "You mean to say these people, like that man back at that village, aren't human?"

"Not in the form we understand. Much like the druids and the magic wielders of this world, they have gifts capable of tearing the very land in half but use them sparingly. And much like now, in secret, away from any who might think them up to no good." Again the elderly man looked at the blonde prince with a meaningful stare. "Especially people like Uther who might try to kill them for it."

Arthur couldn't help but nod at this reasoning. As much as he disliked the law against magic, especially since it meant if Merlin was discovered he'd be killed. But even he saw the sense in such a law if it kept the more dangerous sorcerers in check. "Is that why this Captain will only see you and not him?"

"Specifically so! Turning his sword on the people of the Old Religion ended up earning him a black mark by his name forever in their minds. No leader, no matter how justified his rage, should never turn it onto people, innocent or not, with no inkling to what they may or may not have done. From what I understand, they went as far as hunting Nimueh for a while before leaving her to fate."

Just as surprised, the entire campsite fell into a silence that only Merlin dared to break, his voice full of awe. "Even they couldn't find her?"

Gaius scowled, staring down into his bowl as if it'd suddenly offended him. "No, much to their ire, something I think they'll never get over really. But they still tried if it meant so many could be spared. Even if it was against their own law, had they succeeded, they'd have killed her themselves."

"They would've defied their own laws to do this? For people they didn't know?"

Nodding once more, the physician met his prince's questioning gaze. "Despite what I've said, their nature is as human as ours. To see innocent people, strangers from another world, suffer at the hands of a man lost in his anguish, didn't sit well with them. Any who succeeded would've been persecuted for certain, but at least then many people would've lived their lives to the fullest, as they should have." Setting his bowl aside for Merlin to deal with, the old man rose from his spot by the fire, speaking with the same patience they were familiar with. "Get some rest. We still have a ways to go and further if this madness is to end soon."

Rest didn't come easy as each thought about Gaius' words at length into the night, only the sound of owls and the wind to fill the silence. The very notion that another race of people cared so much about complete strangers to defy their own laws just for one wayward witch, a powerful enchantress even they failed to catch… was almost hard to fathom. That even one would risk discovery by coming into a kingdom that specifically forbid the very thing they seemed capable of doing. And the suggestion that they weren't even human gave even Arthur reason to pause. The man back at the food stall had been open, friendly and polite. Thinking back, the man looked every bit of an average citizen of his father's lands. Or was that the point to their mission? Gaius had said they were observers but the man mentioned the people they were going to meet were warriors. And they were all capable of a form of magic as well? Knowing Merlin was lying not far off from him, as usual when they were out, Arthur turned over and carefully whispered. "Merlin?"

He heard the servant shift under his blanket, voice low and tired. "Hm? What is it?"

Keeping his voice low, Arthur got to the point. "I know I've asked this before, but you're capable of sensing another person's magic right?"

"Yes, to a point. Depends on what they've done and how far away it is. Why?" Merlin asked sleepily, sounding confused. Ever since the prince discovered he was capable of the art, they rarely spoke of it that much so for him to have a question now was a bit odd.

"Well… if these people have been wandering around the Five Kingdoms for so long, wouldn't someone like you have sensed them by now?"

"To be honest, I hadn't thought of that just yet." The raven-haired servant muttered as if they were talking about something less serious.

"Merlin." Arthur growled, knowing the sorcerer was messing with him.

Letting out a low sigh, Merlin responded with frustration, as though he was just as confused as Arthur. "I honestly don't know, Arthur. This is the first I've even heard of these people and if I asked the dragon, he'd likely say the same or say as much as Gaius will." He paused, rare defeat filling his voice. "Either their magic is so different I can't sense it or they're very good at hiding themselves even from someone as powerful as me. It's hard to say."

"Are you serious?" the prince asked, having the mind to sound stunned, and he was. As far as he knew, Merlin had yet to fail at much except doing his chores on time.

"Arthur." The servant warned. "I don't know any more than you do and we've a long day ahead. Just try and get some sleep will you?"

Rolling back over, the prince let out an indignant huff. "A prince, getting ordered around by a servant. The very nerve of it."

"You like it." Merlin said, chuckling too low for anyone but them to hear. "Go to sleep."

The loud screech of a raven less than a mile away woke most of them just before dawn, a thick pre-morning fog making it hard to see beyond their campsite. With the fire out they used the last of their wood to light it up again for a quick breakfast prior to packing up, saddling the horses and heading down the road. As usual, they went about it with their friendly banter, everyone picking fun at everyone else and having a laugh at themselves. In fact, the acts helped warm them in light of the coming autumn, making it easier to get astride their horses for the long ride to the border of Camelot's lands. From what Gaius was able to tell them, the Red Lion tavern and inn sat almost on the very edge of Uther's land, acting as a way-station for those coming or going from the mighty fortress. And no thanks to the lack of patrols to come through, it was bound to have all kinds of riffraff of the unseemly sort. But if the officers for the local Guardsmen were gathering there, it didn't look well for said criminals. As predicted, their journey took most of the day, only stopping for lunch roughly at noon in the shade since the sun still held some of its summer's heat. The fact that most of them, the knights namely, were in chainmail only added to their temporary discomfort before moving on, reaching their destination in almost record time. Just looking at it from the hill above, the Red Lion was a work of sturdy craftsmanship, standing tall and stout mere feet away from the road with a stable attached to the side for their long term guests. Even for so far away, they could see the faded sign swinging in the wind, a majestic lion painted in faded red paint staring toward an unknown vision.

No sooner did they get down the hill and just in front of the building did the door not only fly open, but was torn clean off its hinges as a rough looking man in light leather armor was sent sprawling into the dirt. Upon landing, he let out a simple, pained groan but didn't rise. Mere seconds later, another man in roughly the same attire stumbled out, face pale and expression panicked as he tried to find purchase on the exposed earth with his worn out boots. He didn't get very far when a clay tankard came flying through the door after him, shattering into large pieces as it struck him square in the back of the head, rendering him unconscious right next to his equally comatose companion. Staring at the fallen pair in surprise, no one said anything for a moment, half expecting a third or fourth man to follow. When none did, the small group of men dismounted, a loud crash inside making the knights rush towards the door to investigate, leaving Gaius and Merlin with the horses. Like always, Arthur lead the way, hand on his sword and his face a mask of grim authority only to give way to surprise.

At least four more men, similar to the two outside, lay on the floor, one or two covered in bits of broken wood from a chair, one against the wall and the fourth leaning against the long counter where a weathered looking innkeeper stood, face pale. Standing with his back to the door was another man, this one dressed in a cloak with the hood down, scratching at his almost unruly mop of light brown hair as he muttered under his breath. Finally he fell silent as the light clatter of metal coins echoed in the silence off the wooden countertop as the man stated almost happily to the owner. "For the damages and any food they may've ordered. Safe to say they won't be needing it for much else."

Moving to turn away, the man's gloved hand released what looked like a small pouch into the fallen mugger's lap, the light impact making him groan. He turned further upon noticing he had an audience, revealing his young face of early twenties set with a sharp nose and a pair of green eyes the shade of lake water with only flecks of yellowish gold to give them brilliance. In spite of the scene, the man had a kind look on his face, a smile revealing his teeth when Gaius was finally able to enter and earning a call of surprise from the stranger. "Gaius! I was wondering when you'd be in! Nick said you'd be along at some point or another."

_Nick? The man from the produce stand?_ Arthur couldn't help thinking as the elderly man moved toward the stranger with a smile of his own, greeting him in kind. "I came as quickly as I was able. Are the others here?"

"Indeed, right over there." The man said with an eager nod, smiling wide enough to show his white teeth, the expression turning bashful. "You'll have to forgive the mess. A product of the Captain's temper as I'm sure you understand."

Looking around at the carnage, as well as the fallen men, Gaius nodded with an amused chuckle. "Completely. What did they say to earn such treatment?"

The man let out a loud sigh of fatigue, turning to lead the elderly man towards the far corner of the room as he spoke. "All the wrong things and all of them right after another. Needless to say their punishment came quite swiftly! And all over how loud they were being so early in the day. They tried to be threatening and all that but the Captain… well, as you see."

"Still doesn't respond well to being intimidated." Gaius stated, earning yet another nod and a light laugh.

"Well said, but you're here for something more than just a little chat then?"

"I am, if the Captain is willing to see us."

"Of course! Just over here, good friend. Now to find some chairs…" the man said, looking about distractedly for said furniture as Gaius continued into the large room and toward a table near the farthest corner. Gathered were several men, all seated and all leaning forward and speaking in calm whispers. Though it was early afternoon, the room wasn't well lit and only one of the shutters was open to let air in. from the way the shadows fell, the corner was fairly dark and could easily hide someone. There was a table there with a sole occupant, covered in a simple dark blue cloak with the hood up and their boots on the table. Said person didn't move or speak, likely to say they were asleep or was just resting before their own journey to begin again. Gaius paid only the group of men any mind, four of them in varying attire of browns, tans and one with a faded yellow tunic. Turning to look at the group heading their way, one of the men openly smiled at the old man's advance.

"Gaius! Thought that was you! Didn't think you got around these days. Let me guess, Nick sent you and you're here about Mercia." The man said, storm grey eyes and dark brown hair setting him apart much like the faded yellow tunic he wore. Much like his friend's, his smile was open and friendly, quick to spread across his face.

"He did and we are. Is the Captain up to speaking to us?" Gaius asked, smiling still, both ignoring the original man still pondering over their chairs.

"Depends." The seated man said, turning to address the cloaked person seated at the table across from theirs. "What do you think Cap? Up for a chat with an old friend?"

"That all depends on what little thing he brought me." Said the lounging stranger, pulling their feet off and their hood away to reveal a woman! Unlike everyone else's her smile was clearly that of a predator as she greeted the old physician. "Gaius."

Gwen felt an odd relief come the end of the third day she'd spent performing her duties and all without a peep from Kelan, who posed as a thin cord belt around her waist literally all day long. How the odd creature could maintain such a form for so long and in silence was beyond her, but she was glad he didn't try to speak or do anything to give himself away. So far, at the very least. The most he'd done aside from posing as a piece of her wardrobe was chase any rats he saw when they were alone, help find the occasional runaway shirt or blanket, even keep her from falling over when she almost lost her balance reaching for an old set of sheets on a high shelf. He did speak on occasion, but these tidbits of conversation were usually over his various observations and as instructed, whenever no one else was around.

"Pretty room. Who lives here?" Kelan asked, even though in his simple form she had no idea how he 'spoke'.

Deciding to humor him like she had all day, Gwen continued her work in folding the old sheets into a basket as she responded. "The lady Morgana, the king's ward and ally when she marries. As her servant, I make sure she has all she needs for the day to day."

Kelan didn't speak for a moment, as if processing the information. "Ah, I see. Pretty lady?"

"She is very pretty, and is the envy of the Five Kingdoms as I recall." Gwen said with a light chuckle. Of all the royals to visit, as far as Gwen could tell, none of the other ladies had yet to outshine Morgana.

"Ooh jealous! Heard of that. Dangerous, not good. Kind person though, yes?" Kelan asked with a laugh of his own.

"Yes, Kelan, she's actually very nice but she's not exactly anyone's rival. Other princesses respect her to be honest. The only reason she lives here is because her own lands are under Uther's protection and most of her family's court is gone." She said to the creature, voice low with a hint of sadness. "I imagine she won't leave to live there unless she's married."

"Then Gwen goes with her?"

Gwen could only shrug, though she wasn't sure if Kelan could 'see' in the form he was in. "Possibly but it's hard to say. I do live here in town but leaving? I don't see that happening soon."

"Hmm. Good choice. Camelot good for Gwen. Hope you stay here, stay happy, stay safe. Less chimera though. They bad, mean, no manners."

"No, they don't. None at all." Gwen said with a nod and a smile. Somehow the dragon creature had a way of making her feel better about her sometimes uncertain future.

Before either could say more, the door handle suddenly rattled, as if someone were trying to get it open but didn't know how to use it. When no one announced their arrival, Gwen was quick to get suspicious, putting down the clothes in her hands onto the bed. She thought about speaking up, saying something to the potential intruder but thought against it. If it was another servant carrying something, startling them could make them spill whatever they carried. Often very fragile things their masters had owned for years that were difficult, if not impossible, to replace. This chain of thought stopped once the stranger poked their head into the room, obscured by a rough looking hood made out of brown cloth that'd seen better days. Edging a bit cautiously into the room, the stranger looked around almost randomly, clearly in search of something but what Gwen couldn't tell. The suspense getting the better of her she finally called out to the stranger. "Can I help you?"

Jumping as though startled, the hooded person's head suddenly turned to look at her, most of their face hidden in shadow save for their chin. A chin too small and slender to be a man's matched with skin a fair cream color. As if suddenly unsure, the woman began to edge back out again and would've likely vanished had Gwen not rushed to stop her. "No it's alright!" she said, almost running to the door to swing it open all the way. "Come in. the usual occupant is away so it's fine."

"Y-you're not going to try anything?" the woman asked, hood hiding most of her face, the tip of her nose barely poking out of the shadows it brought over the rest of it.

Confused, Gwen had to shake her head with a light scowl. "Why would I?"

The woman's lips, fairly thin and naturally pink, pursed in a frown. "This is Uther's castle. He's crazy and his son is too, if one believes rumors. Not sure about the ward but you never know."

"Why do you think Uther is crazy?"

As if surprised, the woman exclaimed. "He kills people for no reason other than being who they are, that's why! I may not've been around for that 'purge' some years ago but I'm glad I missed it." With a tired sigh, the woman bowed her head a little, shoulders dropping in clear fatigue. "Sorry, it's my first time here and I'd rather not be attacked thanks very much."

"First time? Where are you from?" Gwen asked, honestly curious.

The woman didn't speak for a moment, as if choosing her next words carefully. "You hear about the cave in the mountains of Mercia?"

"Why yes I…" Gwen's dark eyes widened, staring at the strange woman with a slack jaw and awe in her voice. "You're a Guardsman?"

Nodding in answer, the woman let out another sigh. "Of a kind. You could say I'm an uh… an associate." After a moment she clarified. "I hail from… somewhere else."

"Another world you mean?"

The woman's mouth twisted into another frown, the tilt of her head hinting at her suspicion despite the hood hiding her eyes from view. "For a servant, you're awfully calm about this. Should I be concerned?"

Blinking at the question, Gwen had to scramble for the answer. "Oh no, definitely not. I've seen enough strange things to know what's harmful and what's not." Saying it didn't stop her from thinking about her father's death, but she quickly moved on to stay focused. "Now tell me, why are you skulking about as you are?"

Using her right hand, the woman finally pushed back her hood, revealing long light brown hair, straight and naturally falling just over her shoulders, most of it tied out of her bright grass green eyes. "Believe it or not, I'm looking for my son and I sensed him in here somewhere. Silly child, thinking everything's a game."

"Your son? There's no one in here but us." Gwen said, once again confused.

"That much I know but…" the woman paused, as if finally realizing something and looked down at Gwen's waist. In an instant she was scowling, calling out in her ire. "Oh heavens preserve me, of course! Kelan you jester, reveal yourself this instant!"

As commanded, the cloth-made dragon shifted back to his original form, mouth lifted in an obvious smile as he looked up at the woman happily. "Found me! You found me!"

Yet another tired sigh left the woman's lips, scowl still in place, both effectively ignoring a now very confused Gwen. "Yes, yes I did, you hapless fool you. Do you have any idea how long I've been looking for you?"

"Longer than last time Mother. Master won't be pleased." Kelan retorted, sounding devilishly amused at the woman's annoyance.

"She most certainly won't. Now what trouble have you caused this time?" the woman deadpanned, not rising to the cloth dragon's jibe.

Confused, Kelan tilted his head, his long body still wrapped around Gwen's waist, his tail hanging almost lazily off her hip. "Trouble? Me? No! Nice! Behaved! Kelan was good, Kelan swears!"

"Really? And this kind woman can account for this said 'good behavior'?" the woman said, pointing to Gwen, who was watching the exchange in silence.

Kelan nodded, looking up at the servant woman with his artificial eyes somehow full of desperation. "Yes! She can, she can! Gwen can. Right?"

"Gwen?" the woman asked, as if to realize she'd yet to ask for her name.

Smiling her understanding, the servant woman nodded. "Short for Guinevere, but you're welcome to call me Gwen."

"Ah. I'm Naida." The woman said simply, nodding in return. She clearly didn't feel up to the usual social niceties.

"I'm pleased to meet you and yes I can. Has Kelan misbehaved in some way?" Gwen asked, looking between the cloth creature wrapped around her waist and the angered woman before her.

Said woman just shook her head, her expression losing some of its edge. "Not necessarily but knowing my master and teacher, she's likely convinced him to do something and he often doesn't realize when to stop. It's a flaw but we're working on it."

"Still learning, told you!" Kelan stated happily, practically smiling again.

His 'mother' failed to look amused. "Yes, you did tell me but that doesn't excuse you floating off to who knows where, making me chase you these last _four days_ trying to find you."

"But Master said-."

"I have a good idea what Master said, but that doesn't always mean follow it so literally you end up two kingdoms over doing…. What was he doing exactly?" Naida asked, looking to Gwen for the answer, appearing honestly curious.

Gwen found herself smiling bashfully. "I'm not sure either but he did help me get away from a chimera that tried to eat me."

At this, Naida finally smiled, the expression relaxed as if from relief. "Ah. Kelan does like to help people. At least he ran into someone decent." Glaring at the cloth-dragon, she was back to scowling disapprovingly. "You're still in trouble little man! But we can discuss that after we get out of here."

"Wait, you're leaving?" Gwen asked, slightly shocked at the sudden change of subject.

The woman's frown deepened, shaking her head slowly. "No choice really. Definitely not going to chance meeting Uther in the hall either. It was nice meeting you miss but I think it's time we took our leave."

"Just wait a moment! You don't have to just go! At least explain to me why you're here and why that cave in Mercia is so important." Gwen found herself all but demanding, but felt afraid that if she didn't stop this woman, she'd never see her again.

Her bright green eyes looked at her, askance. "What concern is it of yours?"

Gwen looked away, not wanted to show the fear in her eyes. "My brother is one of the knights sent with Prince Arthur to speak to someone called the Captain about how to deal with it all. Can you at least be honest with me?"

Naida's eyes seemed to widen, as if she recognized the physician's name. "He's with Arthur? And the one called Gaius? Who else?" the woman pressed, her frown edge with sincere concern.

"Uh… I believe they also took the knights sirs Leon, Percival, Gwaine, Lancelot, and Gaius' nephew Merlin." Gwen looked to Naida for a response, almost fearing the answer. "Why?"

Instead Naida looked thoughtful, rubbing her chin with her hand, notably her right. "Hm, that's interesting. If you speak the truth, and I think you are, my master has an interesting day ahead of her."

"I'm sorry?"

"The captain and my master are one and the same." Naida said, almost informatively and with a bitter smile of amusement. "And heaven help your prince, because if he's anything like his father, their meeting won't go peacefully."

Ice blue eyes, like shards of winter cut into them as the woman's predatory smile revealed a fang-like canine. Brown hair, dark and curled in natural waves was held back in a tail but some still found its way to her shoulder while her bangs threatened to cover her eyes which seemed to glow in the dim lighting. Much like the rest of her group, she looked a few years older than Arthur, wore a simple cloak over a dark blue tunic and dark brown pants that matched her boots. She had a simple leather belt that even had the proper straps for a sword that instead held a long well polished stick. Ignoring their stares and the silence, the woman spoke again, spanning an arm at Gaius to sit in the chair next to hers. "Come! Sit down, old friend. It seems we've got something to talk about."

"Then you know why I'm here?" Gaius inquired as he moved to obey her command, slowly taking the seat offered to him.

Her laugh came out like a rough bark, loud and full of energy. "Why else? The cache in Mercia that Bayard is attempting to raid is as important as a small village's food store. Destroy it, and you've got problems. That man, Marcus, gave us as much as he dared when he passed through yesterday. He was in a hurry after all."

Gaius frowned, giving the woman a concerned look. "You spoke to him?"

She nodded, smile giving way to a deep frown. "Briefly, when he came scrambling in for food and water. Even asked for directions to Camelot, the quickest road, and he looked so tired the poor man. He's probably never left his town before, hence his confusion. I trust Uther is being nice for once and is giving him lodgings?"

"He is. And sent us to meet you, all in the hopes of finding a solution, preferably before things get any worse, of course." Gaius stated casually, only looking away to see Arthur take the chair across from the woman. If she noticed, she didn't say or didn't care.

Instead she just scoffed, her attention solely on the elderly physician. Her expression was less than pleased. "Of course he did. Why would he come himself?"

Gaius finally frowned, letting out a huff of his disapproval. "Must you hold it against him?"

"Who else will? His own people or the other monarchs, the magickers he wronged maybe? Someone has to be that man's conscious if he refuses to use his own. Staining his sword with his own people's blood… despicable I tell you. That's not a king, that's a tyrant, no matter what people say." The woman snarled back, her face twisting in a nasty scowl. Everyone near the table could sense her rage but didn't dare say anything.

Anyone save Arthur, gazing that woman in annoyance. He was accustomed to hearing the opinions of others but this woman was going too far in his mind. "You seem to have a distinct view of my father."

"Oh you bet I do, and I've got a good view of you little prin_cess_." The woman growled, eyes flashing dangerously in his direction before turning back to Gaius in obvious disgust. All but sneering she spoke again. "What's that fool king of yours thinking, sending a child to do a man's work? That's just plain foolish, even for Uther. Has Uther finally lost his thirst for doing his own dirty work?"

"I think you've said enough on that, Terri." Gaius warned, taking note of Arthur's reddening face as the young prince tried to contain his anger.

"You've yet to stop me." The woman stated, almost smug.

That was the last straw. "You insult me and my father, all in my face? How dare you!"

Her reaction was instant, face once again twisting into a mask of pure grim ire, her gruff voice low and scathing. "How dare you assume I give a rat's ass, two shits or a devil may care what the fuck you think! Do you think if I thought what you said mattered, do you think I'd sit here quiet and polite like you seem to believe women are supposed to do?" Terri waited a moment in the stunned silence, ignoring Arthur's gaping expression. "I thought not. Just sit there and look stupid, as is your natural state."

"I see your tongue hasn't lost any of its edge." Gaius said after a moment. His simple words seemed enough to calm the woman down, since she was smiling once again.

"If it does, tell me so I can sharpen it some more. I get enough whinin' and bitchin' from my own politicians. Dealing with this simpering child you call your future ruler isn't even worth the time of me or my men. But, naturally, I have time for you Gaius, time I'm willing to spare if it means things don't get too out of hand." The smile disappeared for a more serious expression, all anger and humor gone. "Do you have any details on just where this Bayard is positioned?"

Gaius only shook his head, his own face appearing grim. "We assume in the mountains of his kingdom, since anywhere else would be in violation of various treaties with the other kingdoms. Do you know anything of import?"

"Like all of our caches, it's hidden well and always someplace secluded. In truth, Bayard or any person shouldn't have found it. Our thinking is he has help, which doesn't bode well for anyone." Terri stated, ice blue eyes thoughtful, her lips falling into a concerned frown.

"Help? From who?" Lancelot asked, having seated himself just to Arthur's right and speaking up for the first time since their whole journey had begun.

Terri stared at him for a moment, as if sizing him up, the young knight shifting under her intense scrutiny. Finally she answered. "Such is the question that haunts us. All of my men are accounted for, as are those of other companies in this world. We assume it's one of the lost."

"The lost? Who're the lost?" Elyan asked in turn from his seat between Gaius and Arthur.

His words earned him his own long stare but again Terri still answered. "People of ours who are in every sense of the word are practically kidnapped and, honestly, rarely found. Some are dead, some whole while others are already rotting, and many others are shells of their former selves. The rest are never seen again. Sometimes those taken are locals whose disappearances only fuel local legends and myths of ancient things that are angered or some other foolish, outdated idea. We return who we find but little else." She looked back at Gaius once more, her mouth a thin line. "It's possible we're faced with an old foe, one that doesn't give up easily."

"Have you sensed them? Any at all?"

Terri shook her head, her face still lined with concern. "None since we all but destroyed them a few decades ago but... even now it's hard to say for sure. They could simply be hiding from us. But the one in Mercia is powerful, strong. Definitely intelligent and cunning, unlike their simple-minded kin that you're accustomed to seeing, and most likely the leader of this entire situation. We're already coordinating around the kingdom to ensure that if there are more of them, they won't last long. I can't promise much else."

"I know you wouldn't promise any less but I appreciate your efforts. But as I understand, you still require someone… local to ensure your interaction with any native people isn't met with resistance." Gaius stated, giving the woman a knowing look.

Terri glowered at him, scratching her left cheek which everyone seemed to realize had three long scars spanning it from her eye down towards her neck. "Such is the law, even one I won't deny or ignore." She said with an annoyed huff. "You mean to have this whelp trail behind me like a lost pup then?"

Gaius scowled in turn, his words concise. "He's a brave warrior and a just negotiator, speaks honestly and fights with honor. Do you not do the same?"

Terri only waved his word away. "His words are honeyed. Mine aren't. But you speak true: he's a good fighter, never cheats and has yet to lie to his opponents. Many can account for this, even when you can't."

"Then why deny him?" Gaius asked. Just about everyone nodded. They wanted to know as much as he did.

"They say 'the sins of the father are worn like chains by their children'. I have no reason to believe that in secret, this boy believes the same crazy, backwards things his father does."

"Do I at least get a say in this?" Arthur managed to say, words almost forced from between his teeth he was still angry with this harsh-tongued stranger. But he had to keep himself together for the sake of Mercia and his father's friend and ally.

Terri looked at him, possibly for the first time with something short of pure annoyance at his words. "Maybe. Which words do you think will earn you a punch to the mouth?"

"None I hope." He said, releasing a sigh as he stared at the woman, silently imploring her to hear him out. "Are you going to at least let me speak?"

"Fine. Speak. Let's see whose voice you use, yours or your father's."

Giving Merlin a quick glance, Arthur took a breath and said with as much honesty as he could muster. "I don't agree with everything my father has done and as much as I hate to say, his law against magic is there for good reason. Within the last few years, I've seen the evils magic can cause and the aftermath thereafter. Perhaps when I'm king I'll rescind this law, but only if those who perform this dangerous art can prove they can use it wisely and without bringing harm to others. I know there are many a sorcerer out there who has yet to harm anyone, but even now we can't risk it." Sky blue met ice blue, the young prince not daring to look away. "I hope there will come a day we can all live in peace but sadly, we must deal with today before we think about tomorrow. Now will you help us or not?"

Staring back, Terri didn't move much less blink for a moment or two almost to the point of looking frozen. After a minute or two, she finally moved by leaning back in her chair, crossing her arms and looking at Gaius. "Okay."

"Uh… what?" Arthur stammered, looking at her in shock. Was it really that easy?

Her annoyed frown was back soon enough. "But one of you takes Gaius back to Camelot. Even I'm not foolish enough to take an old man into a potential battlefield. You, with the curly hair, prepare your horse."

"Me?" Leon asked, taken aback by her command.

"Yes you, did I stutter? Are you suddenly deaf? Go!" she snarled, sending the man running to obey. Glaring after him, Terri scoffed. "Moron. Please tell me the rest of this party isn't as dimwitted."

Gaius smiled regardless, getting to his feet. "Give them a chance, and they may surprise you."

She let out a rough laugh, getting to her feet with him, pausing only to grab a bag that'd been on the floor by her chair. The smirk she gave him teemed with a dangerous sort of mirth at his response. "Huh. No fun, that. Fine, I'll take them with me, this lot of pups. The giant too, that should make things interesting."

"You haven't changed." Gaius stated plainly, a smile of his own gracing his lips though his humor lacked the dangerous edge hers did. "Not in the slightest."

"Oh don't get sentimental, you'll make me ill. Now where's my payment?" Terri all but demanded, watching carefully as Merlin, who'd come to stand behind his uncle handed the small bag of fruit to her. She took it without a word and immediately pulled it open, the contents making her exclaim happily. "Ah-HA! Now this is a treat! You know me too well Gaius. Boys! One for the road!" she called, tossing the sack to her group of men gathered at the neighboring table. Like children, they all gathered around and silently reached in and took one as instructed before tossing the bag back. From the way there were still some lumps at the bottom, quite a few were still left. Terri wordlessly stuffed it into her own bag.

"Until we meet again, old friend." Gaius said, still smiling even as Leon came back in, watching their conversation patiently.

Scowling, Terri looked at Gaius as if he'd said something truly odd. "Again? But we met already! Is your memory failing you or something?"

Laughing openly, Gaius only shook his head as Terri simply smiled back before the physician addressed his prince one last time. "Good luck Arthur. Come back safely."

"Goodbye Gaius. Make sure he gets back safely Leon." Arthur said pointedly to his knight, knowing the man would keep his word.

Still, Leon nodded and responded respectfully. "Yes, sire."

Watching the duo leave and vanish, Arthur turned to Terri, as he'd risen along with them. "So, what now?"

"Now? Now we get moving. Some of us aren't over pampered slouches after all." Once again her words were like a nasty rebuke but now lacked the powerful sting from earlier.

"Do you have a horse?"

The woman looked at him in confusion. "Horse? Ah yes, of course. Never bothered but if you insist." Without another word, she moved past them all, waving for her men to follow her out the door and into the afternoon sun. Even as said men crowded to obey, all were still shocked to see the woman had a slight limp in her step. Still, it didn't stop her from stepping over the two fallen men in the doorway as she went to examine what were clearly their horses. Examining each one with a careful eye, Terri seemed to settle on a healthy looking stallion colored a kind of dusty beige. "This one looks in good health, despite its master's uh… state so to speak."

"Hey!" the half conscious man called out in protest, falling again to the ground in pain from his beating some minutes before.

"Hay is for horses, better for cows. Pigs could eat it, but they don't know how." She all but snarled at the man, already pulling herself into the saddle, looking at the group of knights with a cold stare. "Do try to keep up. We have to move quickly if we want to make camp at nightfall."

No sooner did they mount, Terri was already a good ways ahead of them, keeping her new steed at a steady walk as though on a daily horse ride. Her men didn't follow but instead collected up the two fallen brigands and dragged them back into the tavern. The man in the yellow tunic called to them before he disappeared. "You'd best catch up with her sirs, else she'll leave you behind. We'll be along in our own time so don't bother to wait for us."

"Thank you." Arthur managed to say, earning a kind wave from the man as he turned into the dark of the inn, kicking his horse to trot after their guide. Just as soon as they'd come, they were on their way again and headed for dangers unknown.

Okay I have to stop here or I'm just gonna keep going as I'm prone to doing. Though, once you get rolling it's hard to stop ya know? Anyway, this has been going well in my mind so far and I hope all of you looking at this enjoy it immensely. To keep myself from beating 'round the bush, I'll just get to it. Coming up!

Next Chapter:

Chapter 3: Road to Mercia

Arthur and the group have met the mysterious captain known simply as 'Terri', a strange person from a strange race of people shrouded in shadows and secrets. But who is this 'lost person' guiding Mercia's people to potential ruin, and why? And just who is Naida and Kelan, and why are they in Camelot? Is magic truly involved or is it all because of something completely different? Find out next time in:

_**Chapter 3: Road to Mercia!**_


	3. Chapter 3: Road To Mercia

Hello everybody! Blue here with another chapter from my latest work, '_Phasmatis Lupus_'. I hope all who read this enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it. Waiting for the day I can get this TV series on DVD, until then, a girl can only dream. I don't own '_Merlin_' or the characters and whatnot, they belong to BBC. This is for Teme-chan and enjoy!

"Iii" = speech

_Iii_ = thought

Chapter 3: Road to Mercia

Naida proved to be a big help in getting her chores done once Gwen was able to convince the woman not to leave. Kelan had to do half of the work when it was revealed why she only used her right hand for everything: under her cloak was an empty sleeve, the tube of navy green cloth pinned up though her shoulder held up the illusion well enough. When Gwen saw it, her eyes had widened and she'd stared in silence, forcing Naida to stand under her shocked scrutiny eyes on the wall and jaw locked in place. Eventually the servant woman looked at her face, and much to her surprise, smiled.

"I think we can make this work."

Obviously surprised, Naida didn't say anything and only nodded in reply. The two women collected the various clothes and linens to take downstairs to the workrooms to be cleaned every other week. All the while, Kelan continued to pretend to be a cord-like belt as they wandered the halls, Naida doing her best not to look unnerved by all the guards and knights that passed them by. They almost ran into Uther, which only heightened her paranoia but the monarch thankfully went down a different corridor, completely oblivious to the two women in the halls of his castle. Gwen gave the woman an assuring smile, Naida giving a shaky smirk back but still stayed silent as they finished Gwen's rounds. Much to their relief, they didn't run into anyone who may question just who Naida was and where she came from. She did relax when they were alone and not in the halls, sitting on one of the more secluded areas of the walls in order to eat some break and fruit pilfered from the kitchens.

It was Gwen's turn to be surprised when Kelan not only came out of his cord like form but seemed to attach himself to Naida's left shoulder, using his hind legs to grip the cloth of her cloak and using his front legs and mouth roughly as fingers. As demonstrated when he carefully gripped a cup of water Gwen had poured for her in his maw, bent and moving no differently than a human arm would and all without a word.

After taking her drink, grass green eyes meeting dark brown, Naida smirked, the lift of her lips humorless. "Question?"

"Uh… I'd hate to sound rude." Gwen managed to say, cheeks dark from mild shame. It pained her that she was being so obvious, staring at the odd interaction between the pair.

Naida smiled, this time with some honest mirth, a chuckle rising from the depths of her throat. "It's a common question but one I'm accustomed, and in light of your kindness, am more than willing to answer. Kelan is… more or less, an extension of myself, for lack of a better term. True he has free will and exists as his own being, but when I need a specific task, like the one you just saw, he is temporarily 'locked' under my control in order to do what I physically can't. When I release said control, he can do what he likes… within reason."

"Always happy to help Mother. It what Kelan is for." Kelan said jovially in spite of the wooden cup in his mouth, proving to Gwen he didn't actually speak with any vocal chords.

Confused, Gwen glanced between them. "What he's for?"

Naida seemed to wince but didn't avoid the question. "Losing an arm is… can be hard. I know I certainly didn't take it well. I felt myself useless and helpless but when my master found me, she changed that. Showed me I can easily do with one hand what normally takes two, so that if something did happen to Kelan or any others I crafted like him, I'd still function no differently than before."

"Others like Kelan?" she asked, curious and amazed.

The woman only nodded, having Kelan sent the cup down before relaxing into his usual, snake-like position. "Yes, he is one of several and the youngest in terms of creation. My master has her own beasts of similar craft but you could say I'm still a beginner at it. My being separated from Kelan and his siblings is a test of hers. I have to use my connection to them to either find them or call them back to me to not only see if it works, but to see the limits, range and strength of our bond so that I can fix any errors. So far, I found Kelan first and not because he was the closest but because he's the most… shall we say, absentminded when I'm not there to direct him."

"He was very focused when I first met him."

Again Naida nodded, looking amused. "Naturally, because despite your caste and your look on life, you're at heart a bona fide leader. You're gentle and kind but also silently commanding. In this way, we're alike."

Gwen almost couldn't think. "Me, a leader?"

This earned her a sharp laugh. "Why not? Technically women run things when men are too busy 'running things'. It's been that way since the beginning of human civilization after all. They'd be dead without us."

"That's definitely true." Gwen said with a laugh, knowing her brother would probably be just as lost without her guidance. "So your teacher… what kind of person is she?"

"She is… complicated. She can be harsh and angry sometimes but there are times when she's kind and thoughtful. There are some who would say she's cold and heartless, only because they don't understand her intentions. Not that she ever actually voices them. I guess in her mind she half-expects everyone to know the reason behind her actions, as if they're obvious. It's not as though she doesn't like helping people, she just has an odd way of doing it." Naida said, sounding a mixture of awed and informative.

"Your teacher sounds like an interesting woman." Gwen admitted, awe lacing her own voice as she spoke. "But why leave you to wander a land you hardly know?"

Naida merely shrugged, making Kelan shift on his perch. "As I said before, she's complicated. She has a strange way of 'helping', usually in the form of almost literally throwing you into the fire to teach you how not to get burned. If anything, it's like she can't decide between being direct or being enigmatic. Then again she's a mystery no matter what she's doing."

Gwen found herself staring again. "Even now you don't know her very well?"

"I don't think anyone does!" Naida exclaimed, frustrated. "Save the few she trusts the most. And I can probably name them on the one hand that's truly mine." She said, waving her right hand between them as a sort of emphasis. "But as my teacher, I must trust her and her, if a bit odd, sense of judgment. Let's both hope your prince doesn't do anything he'll be unable to fix, for once you cross my teacher… there's little chance she'll forgive you for it."

Riding well into the afternoon and into early evening, Arthur Pendragon and his group of loyal knights and manservant followed the lead of their guide, captain and obvious commander Terri. In all the while they'd been riding since leaving the Red Lion, Terri had yet to speak aside from her initial command to follow. Any other questions we're more or less obviously ignored as the strange woman rode along, not once making any inquiries of her own. Come time the sun was lowering itself to the horizon however, did the odd woman suddenly steer her newly acquired horse off to the side and off the road and off towards a small clearing in the trees some distance from the manmade path. Still without speaking she dismounted, looking about the enclosed space with a critical eye before finally turning to the group of men.

"This spot will serve as our campsite. Send your servant and one of your knights for wood while the rest of you deal with the horses." She said, voice low but commanding.

In an instant, Arthur was scowling at her. "And why should we listen to you? You've yet to explain-."

"I don't have to explain anything to anyone for any reason, save for the absolute need to know it, whatever it is. You want my help? Question me on equal ground and with respect, not naiveté and contempt as is what humans are wont to do." Terri said with a scathing tone, her retort swift and with the same dangerous edge from before. "Also, I'm quite certain the servant is just about the only one of you who knows how to cook correct? Well if you want us to feed you, do as you're told. End of discussion."

"Now just-."

Ice blue eyes flashed in her ire, making it clear she wasn't going to argue. "Don't make me repeat myself boy. You'll find what I did to those men back there to be child's play compared to my true wrath. Is that something you want to provoke?" After a moment of stunned silence, she continued. "I thought not… now get moving. You only have so much sun left before need to get to sleep."

Knowing he had little chance of winning, Arthur conceded, turning to the group of knights around him to look at the largest of the all. "Percival, go with Merlin. The rest of us will make camp and leave the captain to her own work."

"Bring all the food to me. Can't cook with what I don't know we have." Terri growled back, releasing her hold on her horse's reins to kick some of the fallen leaves out of the way for their fire.

Doing as he was bid, Merlin dismounted to bring the supply bag to the woman, taking a moment to lean forward and whisper. "You seem intent on being rude no matter how polite he is. Must you be so harsh?"

"Must you be so naïve? Especially when it's clear to me he's already told you about your gift and you're not dead yet. Why?" Terri shot back, but in the same low whisper as she took the bag from him to examine its contents.

Shocked, Merlin fought to keep a straight face. "How did you-?"

Shards of winter fell on him, their intensity giving him a chill down his spine. "Even in the night's sky, some stars shine brighter than others. And you boy, are a bonfire compared to their candle flames. Gaius's power has waned that much I was aware of but you? I can't decide whether your 'brilliance' is a blessing or a burden."

"It's my job to protect Arthur. Even if it's from someone I had no idea existed until now." Merlin managed to say, giving her a questioning look of his own. "How can you hide your abilities?"

This time she smirked, clearly amused by his inquiry. "More proof of your innocence. Continue to amuse me with your questions, and I just might tell you."

Merlin scowled but didn't say anything, instead continuing his task before leaving with the almost giant knight for wood. The pair spent a good amount of time selecting the right pieces, the knight surprising him with several good finds likely from his own time spent as a wanderer. No sooner did they come back that Merlin got the fire going, Terri saying nothing as she came wandering from somewhere, the large leather sack that doubled as a pot heavy with what appeared to be river water. If she needed help, she didn't ask for it as she easily positioned the pot over the growing flames before moving to examine the various items they'd brought with them for their journey. All the while, her expression seemed to be a frozen mask of almost overly grim concentration, pulling a knife from somewhere to cut up the various bits of meat and vegetables that were too big. Every now and then, she'd softly instruct Merlin to do something and he would obey, sometimes having to wait until her cue. This exchange of studious work lasted for roughly a half hour, the sun giving way to the moon and filling the clearing with darkness so the light of the fire could fill in what moonlight couldn't. Still saying nothing, Terri eventually examined their work not only by looking at it and tasting it, but by smelling it as if to find any potential oversights.

After a moment, her icy blue eyes fell on Merlin, the woman only nodding at the younger man for the bowls, ladling enough for each of the men herself. They were reluctant at first to each it, but it didn't smell odd or look funny. Instead it looked and smelled invigorating, and possibly better than anything Merlin could put together though all the knights would admit that despite his clumsiness, the man was a decent cook. Being the ever brave of them all, Gwaine tested the stew first, spooning a decent amount into his mouth only to almost gape in surprise at the mixture of sensory delight. It was thick and hearty but didn't have an overwhelming weight, each bit of meat a deep brown, the chunks of carrot and potato soft but still hard enough to stay together. Soon enough, they were practically devouring their share, even Arthur having little to say about the delectable brew.

"That was wonderful. Thank you." The prince said, setting his bowl and spoon down, knowing Merlin would get it later.

Terri only looked at him, expression unreadable. "Such humble words from, albeit surprisingly but equally humble prince, in spite of his namesake. I accept your praise."

"Where did you learn to cook like that?" Elyan asked, just prior to taking another spoonful of the brew, the young knight clearly reveling in the taste of it.

The woman merely shrugged casually. "Over the years, though more out of need than just plain curiosity. Many in my world have no need to cook because others do it for them, like here. Only for me, I only had myself more often than not."

"No family?" Gwaine pressed, smiling easily though the question wasn't.

Again her face may as well have been blank for all the clue it gave to her mood. "None that I'm aware of. Hard to see how it's any concern of yours."

"Just curious." The knight acquiesced. Best not risk this woman's wrath without cause.

She let out an annoyed huff but answered anyway. "Curiosity is good if you're a child. Any other time, it'll get you killed." Terri shrugged, as if suddenly indifferent. "But since we're in this together, I see no reason to avoid it. I have no kin of any kind. If I do, they're either dead or ignorant of my existence. More likely the former at this point."

"Why do you say that?" Gwaine once again dared to query.

Ice blue eyes fell on the laidback knight, their color haunting in the firelight. "Because I've been doing this sort of thing longer than any of you have been alive, that's why." She deadpanned, watching calmly as the shock of the information spread through them like a wave, ignoring their open stares. "If my kin were human, they're long dead. If they're Guardsmen, then I don't know who they are."

"You're that old? But you-." Merlin began to say, getting over his awe faster.

He stopped when she turned to face him. And she looked deathly serious. "Look so young? Did you think immortality was all sunshine, rainbows and whatever other wonders you can think of? No, it's just as cruel as everything else. Only difference is everyone you know dies of old age while you just exist. I'm far younger than a number of my companions but I'll say this: if you have a chance to become what I am, don't take it." Falling silent, Terri got to her feet, brushing off debris as she left the fire in favor of a secluded spot nearby. As she went, she all but ordered. "Get some sleep. We have work to do and little time to do it."

Once she sat down between the roots of a nearby tree, pulling her cloak over herself, the group of men moved to do the same. Eventually someone, Lancelot it sounded like, called softly into the cool night air. "Terri?"

"Yes?" she called back, just as soft and almost without emotion.

A pause, clearly hesitation before the question on their minds floated above them. "How did it happen?"

The silence almost gave them the impression she'd fallen asleep or simply didn't want to answer. Deciding to leave it at that, the knights were letting their minds go quiet into slumber when the response, hushed and sad met their ears. "I didn't have a choice."

Gaius let his mind wander on the journey back to Camelot, Leon saying little except to give the elderly man warning they should camp for the night. The warmth of the day had helped him forget his earthly pains, but now the cold threatened to make them ache anew. As sun became moon, the physician accepted his share of food from his escort as the pair sat in silence around their small fire. Off to the side, the horses shifted and nickered at each other, breaking the almost pure silence that filled the forest around them. Only the hush of the wind and the hoot of a nearby owl broke said silence, but little else. The two men continued their understanding silence, only bidding each other good night prior to going to sleep, letting the fire die.

The next day was no different: they got up, ate, cleaned up their camp site, mounted and left with little said between them. Only today Gaius could sense Leon had questions in his mind, floating about but unspoken as if for fear of not getting the answer. Finally the knight dared speak up for the first time in what felt like forever.

"Gaius, what can you tell me about what that woman might do?"

"What do you mean?" the elderly man responded, having a good idea what the man meant but knew better than to make assumptions.

"Well, clearly she's imposing and acts as such, but what will she do about all the people in Mercia following Bayard's bidding?" Sir Leon pointed out, his voice showing his concern for the innocent citizens of his native land. "Or even Bayard himself, despite him being king?"

Letting out a thoughtful hum, Gaius took a moment before answering. "Whatever she decides, it will be for the best of all, not the few but the many. And she'll make such a decision only when she knows everything, and not just what Bayard is after but why and for what purpose. Otherwise, all I can say is their laws aren't very forgiving… and often neither is she."

"What about Arthur? You were there when she saw him. To speak to a prince like that… and about his father too, with no regard to his feelings. Why didn't you stop her?"

"How could I? She does what she wills, and her people let her. Within reason of course but think of it: who would you rather have fighting for you? The obedient dog that does as its bid or the savage beast that strikes without pause?"

"Surely the dog would be better to the beast! At least then the dog won't try to bite you when it's excited."

"True, but the beast may bite you regardless. But only if you're in defiance of your own rules, the laws that say all must obey, even the beast. The dog will just sit about in confusion and eventually listen to no one. At least, in the end, it's the beast that keeps everyone in line."

"So that woman… she is a beast of sorts?"

"Of sorts. And she'll always be toeing the line as it were, but she'll never cross it. Even she's not that arrogant. Sadly, it doesn't make her any less dangerous." "I just hope Arthur realizes that when it's time they need to aid each other."

Gaius fell quiet after that, the two easily making it all the way back to Camelot roughly around noon as the elderly man left Leon with the horses while he made his way into the castle he called home. Sure enough, he found Uther in the conference hall, seated in his master chair at the end of the large table, eating his lunch. Looking up from his meal, the graying, scarred man gave his friend and physician a questioning smile. "Gaius? I didn't expect you back so soon."

Much to Gaius' relief there were no guards in the room and all the servants had left to give them privacy, meaning he was free to speak openly. "Neither had I, but the captain was adamant I come back to keep me out of harm's way."

"She does like you more. What about Arthur? Did she accept him?" Uther asked, honestly curious, his voice barely showing his concerned undertones.

Gaius nodded as he sat in a chair near to his king. "I think so but it's hard to say. She was less than pleased you didn't appear, but was more than happy to speak ill of you to Arthur's face. Naturally Arthur couldn't stand to hear it and only got himself a proverbial slap for it."

Almost immediately the graying king scowled, looking up from his plate quickly with suspicion in his eyes. "What do you mean?"

The elderly physician could only shrug at the question. "As usual, her response was harsh but they didn't come to blows. Arthur restrained himself and Terri didn't look the least bit concerned. Safe to say she'll do as asked but little else."

"Of course she will. Why wouldn't she do more than she promises?" Uther bit out with a loud scoff.

"You know their law, no differently than I do. We're both fully aware there's only so much even they can do. And they seem perfectly humble enough to admit it."

Uther's reaction was immediate as it was predictable, the aging kind glaring heavily at his most loyal servant. "You know what I mean Gaius: will she keep my son and his men safe?"

The heat behind Uther's gaze bothered Gaius very little, the equally old man just frowning in turn at his ruler. "It's hard to say but what I know is that for all her faults, she's as honorable as any man under your command Uther."

"That remains to be seen." Uther growled, taking a large bite of meat as he did.

Gaius would've rolled his eyes but decided to just keep frowning instead. "Despite what you may think, she was here for years, existing peacefully with the people of this community. And all without incident, and right under your nose, perfectly content not to flaunt it or irk you into doing something foolish. Now she has no choice but to be in the open to save people who don't believe they need saving… does any of this sound familiar?"

Uther blinked his surprise. He had known the infuriating woman had been to his castle before, just never knew the true extent of her stay. To say their first meeting was a tense one was putting it lightly, a shiver passing through his body at the memory of her knife sharp eyes of almost translucent ice blue fell on him with a look of open distaste and suspicion. Only the presence of his late wife and queen Ygraine had been the buffer between them, forcing the two to behave properly. Terri had looked away from him but had, surprisingly, obeyed his kind and beautiful wife, if begrudgingly. When Ygraine died giving birth to Arthur though, there was no buffer, no protection from the seething rage the woman had unleashed on him. Even now he could distinctly remember her face, twisted and red in her fury, mouth open and yelling furiously loud enough to echo off the walls. Her hands were curled into tight fists but had remained at her sides, not moving to strike him even as she practically screamed at him for being a fool. He all but vaguely recalled her ire had shaken the whole castle hard enough for dust to fall from the ceilings but little else. In the end, Gaius was able to deflect her whirlwind of emotions to get her to stop, forcing her to give him one last scathing glare before leaving in a huff. He'd heard rumor now and again of her presence of the years, but hadn't actually seen her since.

_Not that I'd want to._ The king thought as he shook off the memory. Now wasn't the time to be bringing up the past. He had more pressing issues to deal with. "It changes nothing. So long as she performs her duty and doesn't harm my son, I'll tolerate her involvement."

Gaius sighed his defeat. There was just no convincing the man of anything. "You must see the truth eventually Uther, even you can't hide from the past forever."

"I know." The king growled, stuffing a piece of stewed potato into his mouth and chewing it almost abusively. _And I'll damn well die trying._

To say the conversation from the night before weighed on their minds the next morning was like saying the sky was blue. As usual, Terri had been quiet and cooperative, doing her part to get them up and ready for the long ride ahead. Most of all, Merlin wondered just how Terri could tell he had magic and what kind she possessed that made her look so young. Ever the optimist, Gwaine was the first to breach their awkward silence as they each made one last inspection of their horses.

"So… captain." He called out over the slight din of their work, eyeing the woman as she helped Merlin pack up the last of their belongings.

Not looking up or stopping her work, Terri merely replied. "Yes?"

"How did you come by your rank?"

"How did you become a knight?" she retorted, leaving Merlin to put the bag onto the mule before going to check on her own horse.

Watching her move, as did everyone else, Gwaine wasn't about to be rebuffed so easily. "I asked you a question first."

"And I answered with one. I'm sure you've noticed I don't answer unless I get something in return. Mutual trade you could say."

"My answer for yours? I suppose that's fair." Gwaine responded, nodding his acceptance at the reasonable answer. "Arthur helped me during a bar fight and took me under his wing, taught me to be a noble and honorable knight even if I'm still a flawed man. Now your answer: why you're called 'captain'."

Glancing over at him, Terri's ice blue eyes were calm but ever calculating, as if gauging his intentions before turning away to pull at the saddle straps on her tan horse. "Same as you, though obviously varied: I got into trouble, got aid from those who might well have done nothing only to be brought into the fold of something bigger than myself. I learned, trained as long and hard as I could, made a place for myself. All for nothing if you don't use it in the field and you don't advance if you just sit about reading all the time. So, here I am, in the cold and the dirt, with the lot of you. Not the best set of circumstances but what can you do? I just do what I'm told." She paused, as if thoughtful. "Most of the time at least."

"So you don't always follow the rules? Even the ones set by your king?" Percival asked, his confusion mirrored on everyone's faces.

Terri only let out an annoyed sigh. "I follow all the laws set by my king but to a degree. And only if the situation merits that something other than said statute commands. But only if I have the proper evidence to prove what I may or may not do is for the better, should anyone ask, and just because the law kept me from doing my job properly. Don't you agree?"

"But to defy your own law-." He began again, only for Terri's response cutting him off.

"Is for criminals certainly, but if you don't question the laws, any law, that may no longer apply to you and your peers… what good are you?" she asked, looking at each of them with a level gaze before falling back on Percival again.

This stunned the knight, and his friends, into further silence. Eventually she continued. "By questioning the old ways, you make way for new ones and thus life moves forward sometimes for the better." Looking up at the sky, Terri put a boot into a stirrup as she gripped the saddle firmly. "We're wasting time. Keep this up and we'll end up walking around corpses."

No different than before, she mounted her horse without another word, guiding the calm beast towards the road at a steady walk. Behind her, the men did the same and followed, though a bit hurried to keep from falling behind. As it'd been for the past three days, the air was cool as a sign of the coming autumn but the sun helped kept it from getting too cold when the clouds let it poke through. The rest of the time their deep red capes, and Merlin's trademark brown jacket and Terri's own blue cloak held off the worst of the frigid wind. Even though they'd only been riding for a few hours, Arthur could easily admit some parts of the wood were starting to look familiar from his own memories of traveling to Mercia with his father. Knowing he likely faced yet another scathing reply from the woman, he chose then to speak up about it.

"Captain, I'm familiar with this trail and where it leads. Shall I take over from here?"

"By all means. You have free will, surely you know how to use it." she responded almost casually, not seeming the slightest perturbed by him but still sounding a bit annoyed.

Not as harsh as about everything else she'd said so far, but Arthur was willing to take anything at this point. Gently nudging his horse to go faster, Arthur maneuvered his way to the front of the pack as Terri reined hers in, letting the prince and his steed pass her. But instead of letting her pass without a word, he asked. "Why is everything you say always with such severity and bluntness? Surely there's a kinder way to speak the truth."

"There is, but it's still dangerously close to a lie. When you inform the family of a knight their kin has died, do you explain he died in battle honorably or that he died because he fell off the wall before he could get a shot off?" Terri asked, taking advantage of Arthur's temporary confusion at her words. "Naturally, you tell them he died doing his duty, but how long before those honeyed words apply to every other conversation you have? It's as they say, _Prince_ Arthur, the truth hurts… but lies hurt more."

Eventually Arthur nodded, the tactful part of his brain already agreeing with her at least on some moral level. "Wise words for certain, though I have to protest. Why speak so of my father and not Gaius? Why speak ill of me and my men when we barely know each other?"

Terri only rolled her eyes, scowling at him. "I speak kindly to Gaius because he's earned it. You and your men, and your fool of a father, haven't. Why give you praise when you don't deserve it?"

"So in spite of everything, you must be cruel to us… even when we extend you our friendship?" Arthur asked, even more confused than before.

Glowering still, Terri merely scoffed. "Huh, you'd be surprised how few 'friends' I actually have. But they're the kind that're the true sense of the word and not the 'wary ally' you're accustomed to. Don't you have some navigating to do rather than talk to me? Surely I'm not that interesting!"

Letting out a huff of annoyance, the prince finally gave up, pushing his horse forward to take the lead as intended. As they fell back into a comfortable silence, Terri's face went slack and into a mask of boredom, seeming to stare at the road ahead with a lazy gaze. Coming to ride around her, the rest of the knights gave her their own curious glances before they too focused on the path before them. After a while, Merlin was able to get next to her, his blue eyes glancing at the strange woman as his mind already began to formulate what to say and hopefully, get a truly honest answer from her. He waited until they'd been riding for an hour or so before speaking, watching the woman for her reaction. "What's in the cache that's so valuable?"

Immediately she bristled, the mask of indifference hardening to one of scorn, ice blue eyes falling on him with deadly accuracy. "A question you're clearly a fool for asking, making me an even bigger fool for answering."

"It might actually help us to know what's inside this cave of yours, so that we can help you retrieve it before it's used to cause harm. Can you at least trust us with that?"

Considering this for a moment, Terri relaxed but her expression was still etched with hints of her ire. "That depends on which one they've discovered and are breaking into. I won't know what the contents are until I see the exact location of the vault. Aside from that, the most I can offer is this: each item is different, each equally destructive and not just on the target but the user. For anyone but my people to handle these items is just asking for the end of days to come early, and destroy everything for leagues. Can anyone in this world claim to be able to use such power responsibly?"

"That depends on the person doesn't it?" Merlin asked, knowing that a number of people would indeed use such things properly while others would literally kill to get them.

Beside him, Terri nodded before continuing. "True but that doesn't change the fact that danger will always be a simple mistake away from ending all there is or ever will be. Another thing I will tell you is that what these vaults contain are our mistakes, failures and most illegal possessions. The mistakes that can't be fixed no matter what's done, the ever drastic failures of methods yet perfected and the illegal items? All confiscated and sent to places no living thing could possibly reside in. in this we're lucky but only slightly."

"How slightly?"

Terri just shook her head, looking almost baffled. "Just enough to make our mission only a margin more into the realm of possibility. As far as I recall, there are no vaults containing scientific failures in this region. That leaves the various mishaps from the last several millennia. Until I know which vault is on edge of being raided, I can't say for sure what's inside."

Merlin looked at her, awed by the thought of it all. "What kind of mishaps? Magic?"

The woman scoffed, almost derisive but mostly sarcastic. "No, impossible. Magic is more of a myth than reality in my world. The very mention of it will only make you a laughing stock."

For a moment, Merlin could only stare. "Why? Is magic used to little that no one takes it seriously?"

An impish smile crept onto Terri's lips, the expression obviously amused. "No. It's because in my world, magic doesn't exist."

They both rode in silence for a moment, Terri smirking while Merlin felt and looked absolutely stunned. "That… that's impossible. How can a world exist without magic?"

"Oh it's possible. There are entire versions of existence that have no magic at all, others are full of it while others have only traces. Mine has no magic. Though it's possible it simply exists in a different form and my people have no idea how to use it. What's truly possible and what isn't is limitless. Like how in some worlds… Arthur is born a girl." The last bit, Terri raised her voice loud enough for all to hear.

Ahead of them, Arthur turned back, red in the face and shocked. "W-what?!"

"It's true! And I have to say she looks very lovely in pink." Terri responded with a wide grin, all the knights snickering as Arthur's face became a deeper shade of red.

"I'll not listen to this nonsense! I demand you keep such things to yourself!"

"Of course sire! I'd hate to offend her royal highness." Terri said in mock respect, even giving him a mock bow as she went on. "Then again the places where he has a twin are definitely more interesting."

"I give up!" Arthur roared in frustration, kicking his horse a little further ahead, followed only by Terri's hearty chuckles of amusement.

"Already? Wow, you really are a pampered little princess aren't you?" she called after him, chuckling at the prince's resentment. "Too easy, just way too easy!"

"You really are mean and tactless. Must you say such things?" Merlin asked, his own laughter having died down enough to return to a more serious topic.

Terri's lips were still stretched into a knowing smirk, shrugging at his question. "Again, only because they're true. Haven't you ever wondered what it would be like if a certain something was different? Trust me, if you can think of it, I'm certain it probably exists someplace, sometime. I've probably been there."

"So in one of these other worlds, Arthur truly was born a girl?" Elyan asked from a space or two away, still snickering at the thought of his king in a dress.

Terri nodded, the inquiry reviving her mirth. "Yes, and quite becoming too. And depending on their past, the princess either turned out to be a true daughter of a king or just a rebellious upstart. Take your pick."

"Well I-!" he began, only to frown when Terri's expression changed to a confused frown, the woman's head turning towards the woods to her right like a dog hearing a far off noise. Like a hawk, her eyes scanned the surrounding trees for movement, before turning to them and letting out a low whisper.

"Be ready."

Before anyone could utter another word, an arrow came whistling through the air, the deadly dart striking Terri in the back on her right shoulder. With no armor or padding between her flesh and the arrow, the metal tip pierced deep with enough force to make her almost fall out of the saddle with a cry of pain. Like shadows from the dark, men in clear bandit garb came rushing out from beyond the trees, taking the group of knights by surprise. Gwaine and Percival were able to stay on their horses but Elyan and Lancelot ended up being pulled down to the ground. Merlin didn't hesitate to push Terri back into her saddle seat, spurring his own black steed into a circle away from one of the marauders as he sought to draw his own sword. Getting her own horse to turn, Terri glared at their attackers with a look of disgust and vehemence as she clutched at the wooden shaft sticking out of her shoulder. From further ahead, Arthur was already turning around, his own sword drawn as he charged the closest bandit foolish enough to stand at the edge of the group, cutting him down quickly. He didn't get far as his own advance was halted by swords, forcing all the knights to hold their ground, watching their opponents carefully.

Even with the death of their friend and the distraction that was the knights, Merlin found himself in a losing battle in keeping Terri away from the brigands who were clearly excited upon seeing a woman in their party. Whether she was royal or not obviously didn't seem to matter as the closest bandit had already grabbed the reins of her horse, his filth covered face split open in a less the hygienic smile at his luck. "Looky here boys! This one's real pretty!" Not bothering to look away or change his tone, the boorish man spoke clearly enough for all to hear, though his words were obviously meant for her. "What'll it be _milady_? How's about you spend an hour or so with a _real_ man?"

Terri's face remained an almost unreadable mask, though her ice blue eyes burned with a clear hatred for the man and his suggestion. "You have until the count of three to unhand my horse and let us pass. If not, you and your friends are dead."

Letting out a noise of mock terror, earning a round of cruel laughter from the bandits, the man continued to speak in the fake voice of respect while reaching out with his left hand towards her as if to stroke her leg. "Oh! No need for such violence! I'm sure we can come to an agreement."

"One." Not even flinching, Terri shot her own hand forward to grab his in a strong grip, eyes shining with rage.

At first the man didn't seem bothered by the action. "Come now, _milady_," he said, ever mocking. "Surely it'd be in your best interest—hey let go!" he suddenly cried, face losing its smile to confusion as he tried to withdraw his hand but couldn't.

"Two." Terri stated simply, arm and hand like stone compared to the man's desperate struggle for freedom.

"What is this? Let go of me!" the brigand demanded, all bravado gone in exchange for fear and uncertainty, both shown in his voice and face. After a moment he looked up at the strange woman, terrified. "What are you?!"

Leaning forward so that they were almost conversing in private, Terri's ice blue eyes didn't just flash with emotion, but with power as the man in her sights looked as though he'd come face to face with the devil. Lips twisted in an enraged sneer, she merely stated. "Three."

The next few moments went by quickly, and with such violence it was practically unreal if one wasn't there to witness it. The brigand's hand and arm, both in Terri's grip, ended up being twisted in a very unnatural direction, the loud snapping and cracking of his bones echoing through the air like dry twigs being broken followed by a wet tearing noise that drew everyone's attention in seconds. Much to their horror and surprise, Terri had effortlessly torn the man's arm right off, his blood already staining the ground. The man didn't have the chance to scream, for in the same motion, the blue clad woman pulled the arrow out of her shoulder with only a flinch of discomfort as a response to promptly stab the tip into the man's eye. He was dead before he hit the ground, his arm sent flying into one of the stunned brigand's standing over Elyan with the intent of skewering him with his sword. The force of the limb sent the man flying in turn to fall to the ground, likely unconscious since he didn't rise again. Few had the chance to react as Terri was suddenly off her horse and amongst the men, having somehow gotten the fallen bandit's sword and was using it to rip through them like a sharp knife to frail paper. It was hard to watch her move, everything fluid and exact, seeming to twirl like a dancer despite all the blood and carnage she wrought. Most of their number fell in a matter of seconds, a few by the knights but a majority from Terri's merciless wrath, getting one of the fleeing fiends in the back with a well aimed throw of said lifted sword. Also without looking, she used a foot to trip up one of the fleeing men, using her boot on his back to hold him in place. With a severe tone she said, "I have some questions for you."

Before another word could be uttered, one of the bandits came running forward with a loud, clearly desperate war cry as he wielded a halberd, bringing the sharp tip down to chest level as he ran. None could stop him as he bodily thrust the long weapon right into Terri's stomach, making her gasp and cough from the impact, blood coming from both the wound and her mouth. As if emboldened, the brigand kept his grip with one hand as he tried to get his sword with the other. Halfway there he was distracted by a loud scoff, making him look back at his opponent only to stare in pure horror. Not only was Terri still bleeding, but she was still standing as though she'd simply been poked by a blunt stick, giving the bandit an annoyed look. "You can't be serious… wasn't the fall of your friends warning enough?"

"M-monster!" the bandit managed to say, having gone pale in his open fear for the woman he'd just tried to impale.

Terri let out an annoyed sigh, scowling as though truly irked at his response. "All this and that's the best you can come up with? Clearly your path as a warrior is as bland as your tactics, not to mention your imagination in terms of dialogue." She said, taking hold of the wooden pole with just one hand. "Both of which were the end of you."

Unable to speak or even move, the man was, like his fellows, dead before he hit the ground after Terri effortlessly pulled out the now bloody halberd and used it to stab the man in the chest with it. It was used with such force, the tip came out of his back, crushing his ribs, heart and lungs all in one strike. Staring absently at nothing, the man fell like a puppet with cut strings to the ground with only the sound of his body hitting the earth filling the sudden quiet. Still under her boot, the lone survivor of the bandits was lying on his belly, his breaths coming in quick gasps as panic and fear ruled his mind. Looking down at the man and lifting her foot off his back, Terri grabbed him by the back of his leather hauberk again without effort back onto his own feet. Wide eyed and fearful, still breathing in a panicked rush, the bandit turned out to be a young man at least a year or so younger than all of them. His dark brown hair was a curly mess and his eyes, a pair of grey orbs, stared into steady ice blue ones, glancing between the blood starting to dry on her chin before glancing back. Though he still had his sword, he didn't dare make a grab for it, Terri's gloved hand firmly on his shoulder as she spoke as calmly and certain as though all the death and blood wasn't there.

"I can see you're very curious about why you're still alive. And I'm willing to tell you if you obey me. Nod if you understand." His response was immediate, the nod coming in quick jerky movements. Terri nodded in turn but more slowly but approving though she didn't smile, her tone perfectly serious. "Very good, very good. Now I'm going to ask you some questions to which I expect an honest answer, even if it escapes you. If so much as one word out of your mouth is a lie… I'll snap your fuckin' neck. Understand?"

The young bandit lost color in his face but nodded anyway, not daring to speak, much less cry out for the stunned knights and their prince to help him. In fact, none of them could think of what to do, even as Terri calmly kept speaking. "Good, we're getting somewhere. Now I find it odd that in spite of being only a few miles from two towns, three villages and a farm, you and your friends choose to attack us instead. So unless you've taken all you can carry from those locations I've listed, there must be another reason for a group of bandits to attack royal knights and the person they're escorting. Tell me, _honestly_, why you'd deviate from your normal tactics in this fashion."

Taking a gulp of air, the young man started to speak, his voice shaking with his fear for the woman in front of him. "W-we haven't seen anyone from this kingdom in almost three weeks. More and more vanish, taken away by Bayard's knights only to never come back. Our leader decided not to follow in case we got caught and get taken too. I-." He hesitated, staring at his captor out of a deeper fear of her reaction.

"You…" Terri pressed, ever calm and patient with her prey, seeming to know better than to scare him even more into speaking.

Again he hesitated but spoke anyway. "I wanted to check on my mother but she lives almost all the way on the other side of the kingdom, and I send most of my pay to her. My father's been dead for years and my sister got married to man from another kingdom. I'm all she has and… if the king is gathering people…."

"You're concerned she might've been taken too for reasons unknown. And yet a man like you works with bandits?" Terri asked, sounding honestly confused by the young man's decision.

Nodding, relaxing when the woman didn't react the way he'd thought she would, the bandit began to speak with detail. "Only men of royal blood become knights and I'm no good with farming. Our blacksmith wasn't going to take another apprentice and our carpenter is too old to teach anything. But I'm good with weapons but I didn't think becoming a soldier was a good idea."

"Serving your king, in any capacity, should've been honor enough… but you shame yourself for thinking this is the path for you." Terri deadpanned outright, her displeasure obvious but ignored it. "Either way the fate of this kingdom's people are our greatest concern, do you know which way they were headed?"

"North west, towards the mountains with the white caps… I think." The young bandit said, shrugging a little to show his ignorance.

"White capped mountains to the northwest… that narrows it down." Terri said almost casually, gazing at the boy intently. "What is your name?"

Surprised, the young man stared. "M-my name?"

"Yes, your name. Unlike you I didn't stutter." Terri growled.

As if slapped, the young man was quick to respond. "Darius."

"Darius… strong name, a good name. Your mother named you well. The name of many a strong roman if I recall." The woman mused absently before refocusing on the task at hand and the person before her. "You've done well Darius, and not just for me but for yourself and your mother as well the kingdom in which you reside. Should it be within my power, I will discover the well being of your mother."

"Y-you will? Truly?" Darius asked, clearly as astonished as everyone else.

Terri nodded, not even hesitating. "I will though to make it a promise would be foolish for it may be beyond even me in the end. What is your mother's name?"

"Vianna." Darius said, the name coming to him quickly, like any family name should.

Again the woman nodded at him, ice blue eyes serious. "A good name as well. Again, I shall do what I can but again, no promises. Understand?"

"Yes." The young bandit managed with a look of relief, all fear from earlier forgotten.

"Very good." Terri stated, smiling a little though the blood still in her mouth and on her chin made the expression look gruesome. "And now, you shall sleep."

"Wha-?" the half spoken word barely passed through the boy's lips before his eyes fluttered and he fell to the ground, limp and motionless. Without a word and letting her arm drop to her side, Terri stared down at the fallen young man as if he were vaguely interesting before moving to where her horse stood patiently.

From where he sat on his own horse, Arthur finally exclaimed, "What did you do to him!?"

Ignoring his look of shock, Terri only glared. "Nothing, I only put him in a light sleep that'll last a few hours. He'll come out of it on his own and without harm. But we should move before more show up to take over where these left off."

"They were just bandits! Was it necessary to kill them all?"

Turning to Lancelot, Terri pointed off to the left. "Examine that one, over there by the tree line." She said, pointing to a body lying face down on the ground on the slight incline leading to the woods. When Lancelot hesitated, she merely nodded, waving him on. "Go on. You won't suffer for it."

Did as he was ordered, walking over to the corpse, leaning forward to sniff only to come back up quickly with a look of disgust on his face. "Ugh! He stinks! Worse than Gwaine's socks!"

From where she stood Terri nodded. "That's because he doesn't wash them like he should. But he, like all these others, only smell like they do from the simple fact that they've been dead for a while. They just happen to still look like people for now, which is why they were chosen."

"Chosen? Why? And how can they still move if they're dead?" Elyan asked, looking around at the bodies warily. "Magic?"

"No, from what I know, there's no magic user strong enough to revive the dead. Let alone this many minions all at once, with so little control, and without consequence. A darker power is at work, and not of this world. And they don't care who they use so long as the job gets done, living or dead." Terri commented, looking about thoughtfully.

Walking back over, Lancelot pointed at the slumbering young man at Terri's feet. "And him?"

Glancing down as well, Terri shook her head with a frown. "Oblivious, and therefore innocent of being a willing participant or at least having any idea about what's really going on. The rest of this group were clearly under the control of someone else with only trace amounts of power, likely thinking it made them stronger. Apparently strong enough to take on the knights of Camelot and their mystery escort."

"But not this man? Why?" Arthur asked, bewildered.

"I don't know, it could be because his joining their group was recent and if he's smart about it, temporary. The most we can do is put him in a safe spot and move on. The rest should be left for the animals." Terri bit out as she moved to remount in spite of her injuries and being covered in her own blood. "These filth aren't worth burying."

Stunned, Arthur almost didn't protest. "But they're still people!"

Terri stopped to turn and glare, once again annoyed. "People who kill others for money, bloodshed and sick pleasure of instilling fear in others and little else. This boy is different and therefore he was spared. The rest are trash, nothing more, nothing less." She snarled, pointed down at the bodies littering the area. "If you disagree, go ahead. Keep wasting time while innocent villagers are breaking their backs for a hopeless cause they don't even understand."

"You can't just-!" the prince began again, only to be shot down just as quickly.

"I can and I am! It's the way of life: you live, they die. And when it's your time, you'll die too. It's not a matter of how or why… it's a matter of when. Now stop sniveling like the spoiled brat that you are, now get on your horses and get moving!" she turned again to mount her horse, the beast a little spooked by the blood but otherwise didn't protest. As she settled back in, Terri stuck the blonde with another harsh glare. "Move the boy over to the trees so he doesn't get run over. Leave the rest to rot."

Arthur gaped, watching as Terri nudged her steed around the bodies before moving to stop her, shouting in his anger. "Must you be so heartless?"

The look she gave him then sent chills down his spine, their haunting color only helping to pin him to the spot as the woman before him growled low and calm at him. "I only appear heartless because I, unlike you, am focused on the mission. A mission that without my help or expertise each and every single person who lives within five hundred miles will be dead before sundown in possibly three days time. I only seem heartless due to the fact that in the almost three hundred years I've been tasked with this exact undertaking I've seen thousands of people much like them fall dead like the frail, dishonorable bastards that they are. I've also seen countless innocents get caught up in it, slaughtered like livestock because idiots like you and your father insist upon believing that I'm the monster I'm really not." Her words came out quick but effortless, pausing only for breath in the stunned silence that'd fallen over them. "And also because my people are dying in droves to keep ignorant little brats like you alive and blissfully unaware how terribly fragile everything really is."

"W-what?" Arthur found himself saying, stunned.

His stammering seemed to only fuel her ire, Terri's face twisted in pure wrath. "That's right: despite what you just saw, we die. We get sick, we get hurt, and we're even born with issues no physician can cure. We're human just like you, just different. That's what I'm used to being considered and there's no changing it. No matter what, some things don't change. Your mother couldn't change your father, for all her trying. What good that did. I'll tell you: none. And even after all this time, his main focus is destroying everything that's different." Again she paused for breath, her words cold and toneless. "We've wasted enough time. Get the boy out of the road and leave the trash for the birds. At least they're the only ones in this whole forest to be glad these filth are dead."

With another gentle nudge, Terri's horse was moving again, leaving the bloody scene behind for less body-strewn views. As she moved slowly but surely away, Percival and Elyan moved to obey her, grabbing the slumbering bandit but the arms and propping him against a tree before going back to their horses. Once they were all mounted, the knights moved to catch up with the woman, feeling guilty for not doing more for the lost souls behind them, bandits or not.

Gaius shuffled back up to his room after another long day of roaming around, dealing with the various chores that usually plagued his day. At some point, Gwen had come up to him saying there was someone he needed to see who was waiting in his chambers. The young woman now walked beside him as they climbed the steps to his tower, a bit baffled by a visitor at such a late hour of the day but even more so when Gwen refused to name said visitor. According to her, she was sworn to secrecy out of concern for potential eavesdroppers that may be just as curious and report to the king. So Gaius made his way up the stairs, through the hall and finally to the door to his quarters which doubled as his clinic and apothecary shop. Inside was the usual mess of bottles, vials and bowls, some full while others were empty or only filled some parts of the way with various liquids and stuffs none would want to ponder over. Seated at the small table he and Merlin shared for meals was a cloaked figure, speaking softly to no one. The creak of the door and the loud bump the wooden barrier made against the wall made the figure turn, making Gaius stare. He knew the young woman seated at his table, though not as well as her superior, but well enough to know she was being as cautious as ever. Light green eyes, almost the color of fresh grown grass, sparkled upon seeing him as the young woman smiled. "Gaius. Same as ever I see."

Knowing it would reassure her, Gaius smiled in turn. "Naida, you've changed nothing as well. Though I'm still puzzled in as to why you're here."

Naida nodded, her face troubled as the two sat down across from her. On the tabletop between them Kelan was curled up like a snake, sniffing at a jar of herbs. "That's just it, I have close to no idea either. Only that my teacher told me to, and I quote 'stay close to Camelot in case of trouble', and left me behind without a word! What's more, she had Kelan come wandering over here without supervision too."

At the mention of his name, the cloth dragon raised his head towards Gaius, speaking loud and jovially. "Hello!"

"Why hello!" Gaius said with a nod, smiling at the odd being but not questioning it.

Ignoring the interaction Naida's shoulders fell as she went on. "And now she's on a journey with the prince? Oh Gaius I'm so turned around it's hard to know where to go anymore. Please tell me you have some idea on what's going on?"

Confused, Gaius looked at her in his own confusion. "Hold a moment, you mean to say you and your teacher were here when this all started?"

"Yes, for training but miles to the west and away from anyone who might see us or what we were doing. Then suddenly, she said she had to go and told me to head here. Of course she told Kelan to go rogue in some fashion to 'test me' while she was at it." Naida grumbled, scowling a bit at Kelan's laugh upon discovering the contents of the jar 'smelled funny'.

"Do you know anything about the vault in Mercia?" Gaius asked, watching the young woman intently.

Naida lit up almost immediately but still appeared discouraged. "Very little, only that for some reason, Bayard is suddenly very intent on getting into it and is recruiting as many of his countrymen as he can to do it. A vault he had no idea existed until about two months ago."

"Two months? You're certain?"

The young woman nodded, her mouth set in a hard frown. "Quite certain. Teacher got this look on her face, like she'd sensed something bad, really, really bad. Just told me to come here to wait and little else. No explanation at all. She's done it before but not like this."

Gwen could only glance between the two, looking more confused as the conversation went on as she struggled to keep up. "How do you mean?"

Looking at the servant girl for the first time, Naida became stern all of a sudden. "By their margin, I'm young, very young so I may be strong but I'm still vulnerable. My teacher always left me with some task or lesson to overcome before coming back to see if I finished or not. Never has she just told me something so open-ended and disappeared."

"That does sound odd, even for her. And she told you nothing else?" Gaius pressed further, clearly just as baffled as Naida was.

Naida could only shake her head, throwing her only hand up in exasperation over it all and the frustration it was causing. "Nothing! Also there was this look in her eye that I didn't like. Something dark." Her expression shifted once again, this time showing bit of fear. "Gaius I'm worried. Just what in blue blazes is going on?"

"I don't know but until they come back, we'll just have to wait and find out." The elderly physician paused, looking the young woman over with a calculating gaze. After a moment he finally stated. "You're welcome to stay here, out of sight."

Finally, Naida was smiling again, her face awash with relief. "Thanks, that eases my mind. Wandering the town where a guard might spot me just sends chills through me."

Beside Gaius, Gwen could only gaze at the other woman in puzzlement. "If you're so powerful, can't you just rebuff them?"

Naida sighed, suddenly looking very tired but spoke anyway. "I could but that would weaken me, and I'm certainly not experienced enough to fight for very long. And if they do catch me, they may succeed in killing me where others have failed to kill my teacher. She's been wandering about for nearly three hundred years, while I've been following her for close to fifty years. Asking me to go out there would be like asking a fawn to wander too far from its mother while wolves are about. My demise would be painful but close to swift. Until my skills are good enough to fend them off then maybe but now, I'm a walking target for Uther to use as a martyr for his anti-magic campaign. This would just give my teacher all the more reason to raze this entire kingdom to the ground in her rage. Is that the type of outcome you wish for Gwen?"

The prospect of seeing Naida killed for simply existing made Gwen's face turn pale, shaking her head quickly to rid her mind of the imagery. "No, it most definitely isn't. And your teacher would do such a thing?"

Solemnly, Naida nodded. "Yes, she would. And she wouldn't regret it once she was arrested for it either. Her people don't look kindly on such blatant acts of interference."

Confusion took over once more as Gwen stared. "Her people? But if you're not part of the Guardsmen, then who do you belong to if this captain is your teacher?"

"Such things are complex and would be too far over your head. All I can say is that in being similar is our initial connection and because she's older and more experienced, she's my teacher until I can fend for myself and find students of my own, others like us. She and the Guardsmen come from their own world, I hail from another that's similar but different." Upon seeing the servant girl was only giving her a blank stare, Naida shifted in her seat rather awkwardly before muttering. "As I said, it's complicated."

Gaius chose then to cut in. "Enough on that for now. Gwen, you go and finish your chores and I'll deal with Naida's needs from here. Perhaps tomorrow you can help her get acquainted with the castle grounds."

"Alright. Bye Naida." Gwen said as she got up and left, waving to them as she headed for the door.

Smiling Naida waved back, Kelan popping his head up to practically shout after the servant girl in his usual joviality. "Bye Gwen."

At that Gwen smiled wider before heading out the door, shutting it behind her. No sooner did it close behind her did Gaius get up and rush over to listen. Once he was certain Gwen's footsteps were too far away he turned back and said. "She's gone. Is there anything else you can tell me?"

Once again Naida frowned, shaking her head with regret. "Sadly not much. Terri was very tight-lipped about all of it. Could it be that the one she's looking for has come?"

Gaius pursed his lips in thought, brow wrinkled more than usual as he pondered over the woman's question. "If Terri is truly acting the way you said, then it's possible. One can only hope Arthur can help Terri finally be able to finish her age long quest."

"Me too." Naida admitted softly, before eventually stating. "There's little we can do about it now though. I've been tasked with watching over this castle and its people so I will. Do you need anything else from me in the meantime?"

The elderly physician found himself smiling kindly. "Only some help with dinner."

"Of course. Hop to, Kelan." Naida called to the cloth dragon as she took off her cloak as she got up off the bench.

At the sound of his name, Kelan was up and floating through the air like a lazy ribbon as he followed the pair to the pantry. "Food? Yum! Love food!"

"Yes, everyone does." Naida laughed, Gaius merely smiling as he began to pull out ingredients and other supplies. Knowing the young woman as well as he did, Gaius knew this sort of thing would be enough to distract her, and himself, from the darkness slowly creeping their way from the horizon.

Oh man I'm so sorry I've taken so long! Procrastination and other stories had me in their grip I couldn't finish this for a while. But it's done now so I hope you guys like what's going on so far. Also true to form, I won't keep you guys waiting for too long for:

Next:

Chapter 4: Familiar Faces

As Arthur and his party continue towards Mercia, what does it mean that Naida, Terri's mysterious student, has appeared in Camelot? And who is it that Terri seeks so badly? What's more, Arthur is forced to face a dark truth about his father and his anti-magic policies… as well as himself and his future. Can Arthur and his knights survive long enough to discover just what is going on? Or is their venture doomed from the start? Find out when we return with:

_**Chapter 4: Familiar Faces!**_


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